The Chosen One
by Hurricane Chris
Summary: Gohan comes across a special sword and a prediction of an alien attack on the universe. The only way to stop them is to send Gohan out into space with Vegeta, Piccolo, the androids, Krillin, and Bulma.
1. Chapter One

The Chosen One

Chapter One

Gohan yawned. It was eight o'clock at night and he was stuck studying ancient civilizations. Add that to the fact that he had been suffering from insomnia for the past few days, and you have a fourteen-year-old that wants nothing but to climb in bed and catch some shut-eye. He was halfway through Egyptian hieroglyphics when there was a tapping on his window. He looked up and saw his mentor, Piccolo. The Namekian gestured for Gohan to open the window. 'He must want to talk to me,' he thought as he opened the window.

"Gohan, I want you to come with me for a short time," Piccolo told the young teen.

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"I need you to help me figure something out. Come on."

Gohan thought for a moment. Chi-chi was out for the evening, but he had given his mother his word that he would finish the chapter on ancient Egypt.

"All right, but it has to be quick. Mom has been on my case lately for falling asleep during assignments and leaving them half-finished."

Piccolo chuckled. "They're that boring, huh?"

Gohan shook his head. "It's not that, it's just the fact that I've only slept five hours in the past three nights."

Piccolo frowned. "Why?"

Gohan shrugged. "That's the weird part. I've never had sleeping difficulties before."

Piccolo backed up to let Gohan out the window. "Anyway, I need your help with something. Follow me and hurry."

"We're here," Piccolo declared. Gohan looked around. They were in the middle of a desert. Pyramids stood in a couple of places.

"What's here?" Gohan asked, but Piccolo had begun to meditate and did not respond. He could see Piccolo was straining on something. Suddenly, one of the pyramids began to lift out of the sand. It rose in the air and settled down about one hundred yards away. Piccolo stopped concentrating and opened his eyes.

"Look where the pyramid was," Piccolo told the teen. Gohan did as he was told and let his jaw drop in surprise. Where the pyramid had been was a funnel-like hole. The pyramid had been above it. Hieroglyphics covered a square foot near the hole. Gohan and Piccolo descended to the hole. "Can you tell me what this says?" Piccolo asked.

"I don't know," Gohan said. "This is what I was studying before you interrupted me." He pulled out something that looked like a cross between a calculator and a projector. He pressed a few buttons and the device emitted a laser. He ran the laser over the hieroglyphics. The device projected a result. "It looks like it says, 'Only the chosen one may enter.'"

"What do you think?" Piccolo asked. "I think we should look into it. This 'chosen one' is probably long dead by now." He began his descent into the hole. Gohan followed suit. Beneath the hole was a long corridor. Gohan found an unlighted torch and lit it.

"Be careful where you step," Gohan told Piccolo. "There are booby traps in these old tombs to keep grave robbers out."

Piccolo looked back and smirked at him. "Like any booby trap could stop me." He stepped aside to let Gohan in front of him.

"It looks like we've hit a dead end," Gohan declared. They had been walking for about half an hour, and aside from a spiked ceiling and a trapdoor, it had been uneventful. Now they had hit a wall of solid stone. Gohan rapped gently on the wall. "It's thin," he remarked. "There must be a room on the other side."

"Stand back," Piccolo ordered. He began to charge a blast.

"Wait!" Gohan told him. "We don't want to damage anything valuable on the other side. Let me do this." He planted his hand on the center of the wall, then pulled it back to strike. However, before he could do so, the wall slowly swung away.

"What the . . . ?" Piccolo wondered aloud. Gohan shrugged. They walked in. It was a long room, but it seemed empty save a treasure chest in the far corner. They began to walk toward the chest. Suddenly, Gohan's foot caught a loose brick and he tripped. Piccolo stopped to help him up when there was a roar. The ceiling in front of them opened and a humanoid mass of stones dropped down.

"Damn!" Piccolo interjected. "Why do things always turn out this way?"

"Do you think it's hostile?" Gohan asked.

"It's a human-like mass of stones in the middle of a chamber deep underground with a valuable treasure ten thousand years old!" Piccolo responded. "Of course it's hostile!" As if to confirm the assessment, the stone giant swung a huge fist at them. Piccolo and Gohan leaped away.

Gohan looked over at Piccolo. "Stand back!" he stated. "I'm powering up!" Gohan spread his legs and brought his elbows to his waist, fists up, and yelled. The teen's hair stood straight up save one clump and his pupils vanished. A bright flash radiated from him and his hair turned yellow and his pupils reappeared, only green. A golden aura crackling with electricity surrounded him.

"Gohan!" Piccolo yelled. "I don't think Level Two is necessary for this monster!"

"Well, I'm not taking any chances!" Gohan shouted back. "I'm going to finish it quickly!" He raised his arms over his head. "Masenko . . ." He brought his arms down. "HAAA!" A massive beam erupted from his hands and engulfed the stone giant. When the dust settled the stone giant still stood, minus a hand. Gohan was taken aback, as was Piccolo. "Well, that's not all!" Gohan shouted at the monster. "I have another card up my sleeve!" He brought his hands behind his body. "Kaa . . . mee . . . haaa . . . meee . . ." A ball of energy formed in his hands. Suddenly he thrust his hands forward. "HAAA!" An even larger beam than the previous attack erupted from his hands and shot at the monster. As soon as the monster was engulfed, he directed the attack upward, so it would go into space. When the dust settled, Gohan and Piccolo were shocked to find the monster still standing, minus an arm.

Gohan turned to Piccolo. "I can't keep going much longer! That Kamehameha was twice the power of the one I used to destroy Cell!" In response, Piccolo flung his cape and his turban off and began to power up himself. "What are you doing? You don't stand a chance if I don't!" Piccolo ignored him, reached full power, and began gathering energy in his right index and middle fingers.

Piccolo looked over at Gohan. "Charge another Kamehameha!" he shouted. Gohan pulled his hands back and began to chant. Soon, both attacks were ready.

"KAMEHAMEHA!"

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

The two attacks lanced forward and blasted the stone giant. They impacted in the same spot: the giant's other arm. An explosion resulted and when the light died down the giant was still there, only half of its body was gone. A strange glow emanated from the hole. After a few seconds, Gohan doubled over. "Piccolo! I think I'm going to be sick!"

"Damn!" Piccolo exclaimed. "I think it's radioactive! Gohan, you're getting radiation sickness! Vegeta said Saiyans are extremely weak against radioactivity! Get out!"

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine for a while! Namekians have a high radiation tolerance!" Gohan began to walk away, but then changed his mind. When he turned around, he found two Piccolos. They started whirling around the stone giant then stopped, one in front, one behind. They simultaneously then fired their Special Beam Cannons at its head. The head exploded, along with the rest of the body. The two Piccolos merged again as Gohan ran toward the treasure chest. When he reached it, he promptly vomited. Piccolo landed next to him.

"We'd better hurry and open this up," Piccolo said. "We can't let you get much hotter." (AN: the term "hot" is used to describe something affected by radioactivity.) Gohan, arms trembling, opened the chest. Inside was a sword. Gohan saw some hieroglyphics and pulled out the written language translator.

"Let's s-see," Gohan said. "Our p-planet was attacked by aliens. W-we barely managed t-to drive them off, but they will r-return in t-ten thousand years - hang on." Gohan turned away and vomited again. "Only the ch-chosen one can d-defeat them. Only the chosen one, a half-alien himself, c-can wield this legendary sword and s-stop these aliens from c-conquering the universe. This s-sword, the Testament Sword, has a m-magical power that only the chosen one c-can use, and its p-power will differ depending on the s-strength of the chosen one at the time." Gohan grabbed the sword, which was in its scabbard, and felt a warmth radiate through his body. He hooked the scabbard on his belt.

"We've been here too long!" Piccolo stated. "Let's go, now!"

"WHAT? WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Gohan opened his eyes. He was in a hospital room. An angry female voice was screaming outside.

"HOW COULD YOU LET HIM GET IRRADIATED?" The door flung open and Chi-chi rushed in, tightly embracing her elder son. "Gohan, my precious dear!" she sobbed.

"Mom, it's all right!" Gohan protested. "I just got radiation sickness!"

"Oh, you're delirious!" Chi-chi cried, and hugged her son tighter.

"AIR!" Gohan choked out. Chi-chi lightened her grip on him. Piccolo stood in the doorway. "Hey, Piccolo, where's the sword?"

Chi-chi turned around, with a look that could strike fear into even Frieza's heart. "GET OUT! NOW!"

"But Mom," Gohan protested, "Where's the sword?"

"Oh, you're still delirious! Oh Gohan, everything will be fine!" With that, Chi-chi fainted. Piccolo stepped into the room.

"The sword is up at Dende's place," Piccolo said. "They are inspecting and decontaminating it."

"Okay." Gohan laid back down on the bed and went back to sleep.


	2. Chapter Two

The Chosen One

Chapter Two

Over the next five days, Gohan was taking naps frequently and not eating much, because anything he ate came right back up or passed through his system in about twenty minutes. On many occasions, baby Goten got into his room to play and made a racket upon seeing he was asleep. Every time he did so, Chi-chi rushed in, grabbed Goten, hauled him back to his room and spanked him.

Gohan had quite a few visitors. Piccolo stopped by to drop off the Testament Sword, Krillin (who had been dropping by the house frequently after Goku's death) came with a comedy DVD set to keep Gohan entertained while he was bedridden, and Bulma came by with a portable gravitron that affected only the wearer. However, the visit that stuck out the most happened about mid-afternoon on the fourth day.

Gohan was sleeping. Once again, Goten crawled into his room to play, but found his older brother asleep. Instead of making a racket, he tried to climb up the sheets, but failed several times. However, every time Goten pulled on the sheets, Gohan had rolled closer to the edge of the bed, and was about to fall. Goten tried one more time, then gave up and crawled away from the bed to start screaming. Before he could, though . . .

THUD! "OOOF!" Gohan landed on the wood floor on his stomach and got the wind knocked out of him. Upon hearing the sound, Chi-chi ran into Gohan's room and skidded to a halt. She found Gohan picking himself off the floor and Goten laughing.

"What happened?" Chi-chi demanded. "Gohan, did you fall out of bed? Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," groaned Gohan. "Just got the wind knocked out of me, that's all."

"Tug tug! Tug tug!" Goten laughed. "Tug, fall! Thud!" He laughed some more. Suddenly, Chi-chi grabbed him, took him to his room, and . . .

SMACK! "WAAAH!"

"Gohan's sick! Leave him alone!" Chi-chi scolded as she put a crying Goten in his crib. Meanwhile, Gohan climbed back into bed and pulled the covers up. At that moment, Chi-chi walked into the room. "Gohan, don't go back to sleep," she told the teen. "You have a visitor."

Gohan sat up. "What? A visitor? Who?"

Chi-chi didn't respond. Instead, she shouted out, "Gohan's awake! You can come in!" A young man who appeared to be in his early twenties walked into the room. He had long, jet-black hair, a black tee-shirt, a long-sleeved undershirt and an orange scarf. An empty gun holster was hooked around his waist, and he wore jeans that were torn around the knees. He had green socks and blue-and-white sneakers on. Gohan had never seen him before, but he knew who the visitor must be because of the Red Ribbon Army emblem on his shirt.

"What the . . . ? You're Android 17!" Gohan threw the covers off. "What, are you here to strike me down while I'm sick?" He turned to Chi-chi. "Why did you let him in, Mom? He's dangerous! He tried to kill Dad!"

"Relax," 17 said. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just have some important info. This concerns you, too," he said, turning to Chi-chi, "because Gohan is going into space."

"Again?" Gohan asked. "Am I going to Namek to get the Dragon Balls again?"

17 shook his head. "We may end up stopping there, but that's not our goal. Piccolo and Bulma thought it best if we eliminate this threat before it arrives on Earth."

"No!" Chi-chi exclaimed. "My little boy is not going into space! He's sick!"

"Mom, Bulma told me that radiation sickness lasts a week!" Gohan explained. "I'll be in good health by Sunday! Besides, I'm not a little boy any more! I'm a teenager!"

"But sweetie, what about your assignments? You're already behind on written work! You need to catch up!"

"Bulma said she'll personally make sure Gohan studies in space," 17 told her. "You don't have to worry about that."

"You mean Bulma's coming, too?" Gohan asked.

17 nodded. "Not just Bulma, but Piccolo, Krillin, myself, my sister, and the conceited prince of the Saiyans."

"You mean Vegeta is coming, too?" Gohan asked. "Why?"

"We need someone who knows what it's like in space, someone who can read and understand alien languages, and the idiot is the only person to fit in both categories," 17 explained. "Although 18 and I have translators programmed into our memories, they only contain the multiple languages of the people of Earth."

"But I am sure Vegeta will want to train," Gohan said. "I don't think Bulma can endure the Gravitron in Dr. Brief's ship."

"We won't be taking that kind of ship," 17 told him. "It's much larger, there's a sparring room, and we'll each have our own bedroom and bathroom."

"You see here!" Chi-chi suddenly interrupted. "I am not going to let my precious darling Gohan go aboard a ship with that green monster and that ruthless Saiyan for months on end! I had to endure enough worrying for three lifetimes when he was on Namek!"

"Yeah, but all your worrying was in vain, was it not?" 17 shot back. "They were perfectly fine!"

"He's right, Mom," Gohan said, "and I'm more than capable of taking care of myself now."

"But . . . Gohan, you're sick . . ."

"Mom, we have already been through this!" Gohan exclaimed. "I am going!"

Chi-chi just stood, in shock. "My son has talked back to me," she said softly. "Where did I go wrong?" With that, she fainted.

17 looked at the unconscious Chi-chi. "Does this happen a lot?" 17 asked.

Gohan nodded. "Although not as much as she used to. Grandpa! Get the smelling salts!"

-2-

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Vegeta muttered as he put two suitcases in the ship. He then glared at Bulma. "Why are you coming along, woman?"

Bulma crossed her arms. "Because I'm the only one who knows how to FLY the ship, that's why! And besides, you don't look like a mechanic to me!" Vegeta scowled.

"Don't look so glum," said a voice from behind Vegeta. He whipped his head around and saw the androids on the ramp behind him.

Vegeta turned back to Bulma, furious. "You didn't tell me these two battery-charged boneheads would be coming!"

18 crossed her arms and frowned. "Boneheads? That's not very nice. You need to learn some manners."

"We may need their help!" Bulma shouted at the Saiyan prince. "They're almost as strong as Piccolo! What if this enemy is too strong or too numerous for you, Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan to handle?"

"Well, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, Bulma," said a voice behind 18.

"Oh, is that you, Krillin?" Bulma asked. "I couldn't see you back there."

"Oh, now you're making fun of my height, are you?" Krillin remarked.

"Well, don't take absolutely everything you hear the wrong way!" Bulma shot back. Vegeta started to snicker. "And you!" Bulma turned to Vegeta. "Stop laughing!"

"For once, I agree with Vegeta," said a voice from the other side of the ship. "It is rather humorous, and Vegeta is allowed to laugh. We don't live in a Communist country."

"Piccolo!" Krillin exclaimed as the Namekian hovered around to their side of the ship. "When did you get here?"

"Long enough ago to hear your and Bulma's conversation," Piccolo answered. The six moved inside the ship to put in their belongings, most of which were Bulma's, because she had not forgotten about her "traumatic" experience on Namek. A few minutes later, they heard someone say, "Uh oh! How will I get in?"

"You can give me the bags, Grandpa," said Gohan.

"Gohan, I still can't see why you are refusing the hair gel," Chi-chi said.

"Mom, I told you, I look ridiculous, and if I went Super Saiyan, the gel would be destroyed anyway."

Bulma walked to the entrance to the ship. "Oh good, you're here. We'll take off soon." Gohan got his belongings in his room, got in a seat on the bridge, and buckled in along with everybody else. Bulma pressed a few buttons and the ship's engines turned on and launched the ship off the ground and into space.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

  
  


Gohan sat on his bed, examining the Testament Sword. "Special powers . . . if it has special powers, why hasn't it shown them yet?" he said to himself. "Maybe if I unsheathed the sword, I'd find out." He was about to pull the sword out of its scabbard, but something halted him. Looking at the scabbard, he saw an inscription on it. He pulled out his translator when Piccolo walked in.

"Gohan, take the sword to the sparring room with you," Piccolo said. "Let's see just what is so special about this sword."

"Just give me a second," Gohan replied, "so I can see what this inscription says." He activated the translator and checked the results. "Do not use this sword unless it is necessary," he read. "Use this sword only if the battle's victory depends on it. Sorry, Piccolo."

"Well, I'd like to at least see what it looks like," Piccolo stated. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled. Instantly, electric bolts surged out of the hilt and blew Piccolo back into the wall.

"HEY!!" came Bulma's voice. "NO SPARRING IN THE BEDROOMS!!"

"We're not sparring!" Gohan shouted back.

Bulma marched into the room. "Then why is Piccolo crumpled against the wall, huh?"

"Piccolo tried to grab the Testament Sword, but was blown back," Gohan responded.

"Likely story!" Bulma shot back. She made a grab for the sword, but Gohan pulled it away. "GIVE ME THAT SWORD!" she shrieked. She grabbed the scabbard and put a hand on the hilt, and was blown back like Piccolo.

Suddenly, alarms began to sound throughout the ship. Bulma climbed to her feet and ran to the bridge, followed by Gohan and Piccolo. The androids and Krillin followed. Bulma slipped into the pilot's seat and checked the radar display. "Oh no!" she screamed. "We are under attack!"

"I hope you are not saying that this ship has no weapons," Android 17 said.

"Be quiet!" Bulma snapped. "Of course it has weapons! The problem is that there are so many of them!"

"Well, we did not have much of a problem with that squadron of drones on the way to Namek, remember?" Krillin reminded Bulma.

"That was different!" Bulma said, panicked. "Those were computer-guided! These are piloted by life forms!"

"Wait," Piccolo said suddenly, "I have an idea. Bulma, do you have any spacesuits?"

"What do you think?" Bulma snapped. "Of course I do! Why?"

"Do you have enough for all of us?" Piccolo asked.

"Yeah, but why?"

"Geez, woman, use your head," Vegeta remarked, entering the room. "We can all go EV and blast those fighters to space dust!"

  
  


Gohan pulled off his helmet as he returned from the airlock. "How is the ship?" he asked Bulma.

"One of the engines is badly damaged," Bulma moaned. "It needs to be fixed or we cannot pass light speed."

"Is there somewhere it could get repaired?" Krillin asked.

"I do not know," Bulma said sadly. Then, she perked up. She called up a star chart and had Vegeta come up to read it.

"There is a space station 130 million miles from our location," Vegeta determined. "If this bucket of bolts can make it there in one piece, it can get fixed."

"Great!" Bulma exclaimed. "We can get there in two hours!"


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

"Okay. Now those docking bays on the green side are for ships this size," Vegeta explained. "Just follow the escorts and pray you don't get a bad spot, which we probably will, judging the intelligence of those escorts."

Bulma listened to Vegeta's instructions and followed the escorts to a docking bay on the cube-shaped space station. She guided the ship in and landed. Gohan headed for the door, but Vegeta stopped him. "They'll extend a tube to the ship to exit." He then looked around at the others. "Since none of you has the slightest clue what to do, leave everything to me. Just do what I do."

Piccolo chuckled. "I didn't know that arrogance was considered a normal trait among aliens."

Vegeta glared over his shoulder at Piccolo. "Shut up." A tube latched onto the airlock, which Vegeta then opened. Gohan followed, readjusting the scabbard attached to his belt.

  
  


"What a dump," Android 17 muttered.

"Like I said, those escorts are brainless," Vegeta responded. "It figures we'd get a docking bay on the lower levels. This is where all the scum hang out."

"So you were a frequent in these places, right?" Android 17 remarked.

"Shut up, android," Vegeta retorted. "I actually did my best to avoid them. It was fools like Dodoria or Capt. Ginyu you'd find down here. Anyway, you need to keep an eye out for whom you run into. If you're not careful, you'll get waylaid by a drunken idiot. Another problem is prostitutes. They're everywhere, and will try to get as many guys as they can to have fun with them. They'll even try to seduce you two," he said, addressing Piccolo and Gohan, "so just ignore them. And you," he said, addressing Bulma, "make sure that at least one of us is with you at all times. There are plenty of goons who would love to have their way with you."

  
  


"I'm thirsty," Piccolo muttered to himself. "I have to get something to drink." He approached the bar.

"Heh! A Namek! We don't see too much of your kind here!" the bartender remarked as Piccolo arrived. He was a blue-skinned creature that looked humanoid, except he had no hair and four arms. "What'll it be?"

"Just water," Piccolo told the bartender.

"Water?" the bartender shrieked in disbelief. "Water?! Hey, Jekko! C'mere! We got someone who wants water!" A big, purple, muscular figure emerged with a drink mixer.

"You want water?" Jekko grunted. "Jekko give you beating!" 

"I don't think so," Piccolo said. "Look, I don't want to start anything, all right?"

"You're too late," the bartender said, grinning evilly. "You see, water is free, and Jekko here just took a pay cut. Adios!" Just then, Jekko attacked, but Piccolo effortlessly caught the brute's hand. He then caught Jekko in the stomach with a knee strike, sending him flying into the solid steel ceiling. Jekko then fell and did not move.

"Yikes!" The bartender quickly procured a glass of water. "Here you go! Keep the glass!"

  
  


Android 17 sat down at a vacant table, extremely bored. He was stuck in a dump, there was nothing to do, and he did not have alien currency.

"Hey, handsome," someone said behind him, breathing on his ear. Surprised, Android 17 turned around. A prostitute was leaning over the bench on which 17 had been sitting. She had purple, scaly skin and a face like a catfish (A/N: think a female of Cui's species). In the android's opinion, she looked downright hideous.

"What do you want?" Android 17 asked.

"I think that's obvious, isn't it?" the prostitute responded. "I want Y-O-U."

"Well, I'm not interested," 17 told her.

The prostitute looked surprised. "No man can resist my charms, and you'll be no different."

"Look," Android 17 began, "there are two reasons why not. First of all, I have no money-"

"Well, that's no problem," the prostitute responded. "You can sign up with my master's army and get money. You know, it's gotten much better since Frieza died."

"Secondly," Android 17 started, "I'm an android."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" the prostitute laughed.

"All right, that is IT," Android 17 replied through gritted teeth. "I am an android, and I'm not lying. I don't even want to be here right now, but my ship is broken and I have no choice. Also, I am at least thirty times more powerful than the leader of any remnants of Frieza's army. Finally, you are a stupid, ugly, selfish bitch who cannot tell when she is not wanted! Now get out of here!"

The prostitute took a couple of steps back in shock. Then, she yelled at the top of her lungs, "MASTER ARCTICK!" An alien walked over that looked like Frieza's duplicate. "Master Arctick, this guy just insulted me! Not only that, he also said he was thirty times stronger than you!"

Arctick laughed. "You think you are stronger than I? I, whose power is equal to that of Frieza's?" 

"It's no use lying," Android 17 told the would-be tyrant. "I can read power levels without any devices, and your power level is nowhere near Frieza's." Then, he put his hand in Arctick's face and incinerated him with an energy blast. "I don't hold back my power. And now, the universe is rid of a possible Frieza successor."

  
  


Gohan took a seat, pulling on the armor that Bulma bought for him (A/N: it's the same kind of outfit that he wore on Namek). He then hooked the sword on a belt around his waist. Just then, he heard a commotion:

"Why you little scum!" What followed was what sounded like someone getting beaten. Quickly, Gohan shot up and looked around the corner of the wall. He could see several aliens beating. . . .

Gohan blinked to make sure he was not seeing things. The aliens were beating a young Frieza look-alike. One of the aliens kicked him in the stomach, saying, "That'll teach you for showing mercy to someone!"

Gohan ducked back behind the corner, burning with anger. "They're beating up that kid for showing mercy?" he whispered to himself. Then, his anger took over and he jumped out from behind the corner and shouted, "Stop it!! That's ENOUGH!!"

The aliens turned around to face Gohan. They were nothing like any aliens Gohan had seen yet. They were about average human height, but they did not look at all human. They had sharp, black horns sticking out from the sides of their heads, and had heads shaped like mushrooms with faces bulging out from under the "umbrellas." They had sharp-looking fangs and long, snakelike tongues. Their bodies had four arms, two on each side, and all four were muscular. They had three legs, two on either side, and one coming down from the middle, and each ending in a talon. They had powerful, spike-tipped tails and leathery wings on their backs. "Hey, look at the little kid," one of them said.

"He must think he's tougher than we to be ordering us around like that," another stated. The lot broke out laughing.

"Hey!" Gohan shouted. "I could beat you, you know! I could take you on all at once!" In response, the aliens laughed harder. One of them activated his scouter. He laughed.

"Hey, kid, your power level is only ten thousand! This little delinquent could kill you easily! Besides, we wouldn't lose so easily to any remnants of Frieza's forces!"

"I'm not anything like Frieza," Gohan said. "In fact, I fought him and my father was able to defeat him. Oh, and one more thing: my father fulfilled the legend of the Super Saiyan." The aliens only laughed harder.

"Oh, you're full of wild ideas, kid!" one of them said. "There will never be a day when even the strongest Saiyan could defeat even one Roxian!"

"Never say never," Gohan said, "because it's about to happen. You see, I was hiding my power level." With that, he began to power up. The Roxian's scouters started to increase as he powered up. Suddenly, Gohan's eyes turned green, his hair turned gold, and he was surrounded by a golden aura. He had become a Super Saiyan.

"Whoa!" one of the Roxians exclaimed in surprise. "He really is a Super Saiyan! And he's not done powering up!" Suddenly, their scouters all short-circuited, but all had read the same thing: his power level was equal to one of theirs.

"I'm still not finished powering up," Gohan said. Suddenly, his hair shot straight up save one bundle and his aura began to spark with electricity. He had powered up to his maximum.

The Roxians were so panicked that they did not know what to do. Without warning, one of them foolishly attacked. Gohan, however, calmly shot his hand through his chest.

"GET HIM!!" one Roxian shouted. "He can't take on all of us!" They all leaped at Gohan, who created a barrier and bounced them back. Then, he fired an energy blast from his open palm that incinerated all of them. The skirmish over, he powered down. He looked over at the kid, who was unconscious. He picked the kid up and brought him back to the ship to rejuvenate.


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

  
  


When the Frieza-like kid woke up, he found himself in a bed. "Hey! Look! He's awake!" Gohan rushed over to the bed. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

The kid tried to sit up, but stopped due to an excruciating pain in his solar plexus. He lied back down on the bed. "Where are my masters?" he asked.

"Your masters?" Gohan looked puzzled. Then, it dawned on him. "Oh, you mean the Roxians? They were beating you up, so I stepped in. They wanted to fight me and died doing so, even though I didn't want to.

"My name is Gohan. My friends and I are from the planet Earth. What's your name?"

"Siber," the kid said. "You killed my masters? How? I mean, you're only a teenager, and they were six full-grown Roxians! Not even Frieza, his father, his brother, and the Ginyu Force put together could stop three, let alone six!"

Gohan put his right hand behind his neck, trying to think of a modest way to tell him. Deciding there was none, he said, "Well, my father was a Saiyan. In fact, he was the Saiyan who defeated Frieza on Namek." Gohan then went into the story of the androids and Cell.

Siber's eyes widened. "Wow. Who would have thought that any Saiyan could become a Super Saiyan? I didn't believe the legend myself until Frieza was defeated on Namek." He propped himself on his elbows. "You know, you and I are a lot alike."

"How?" Gohan asked, puzzled.

"Well, we're both prodigies," Siber said. "You are one of the most powerful beings in the universe, but you're only thirteen years old. As for me, when I reach my maximum power level, I am as strong as Frieza, even though I'm twelve years old, and Frieza was the strongest member of my race."

Gohan's eyes widened. "You're as strong as Frieza was?"

Siber nodded. "However, our similarities don't stop there. We both hate to kill our enemies, and from what you told me, it sounds like you have hidden powers, like me."

"Wow." Gohan stood, surprised. "Yes, I have hidden powers. I never remember using them, though."

"What brings you out into space?" Siber asked. "The people of Earth are ignorant of alien life, right?"

"Yes," Gohan answered, "but we came across an ancient prophecy that foretold of an alien attack on not just Earth, but the entire universe. Apparently they attacked Earth ten thousand years ago, but the ancients managed to drive them off. They left a prophecy of the Chosen One, and we think it's . . . well, it's me. They left this special sword behind to help me emerge victorious."

"Wow." Siber was amazed. "Well, I think the Roxians might be trying something. Ever since the Makyo Star passed by their system, they've been really vicious."

"WHAT??" Gohan cried in shock. "The Makyo Star?"

"You've heard of it?" Siber asked, surprised.

"Heard of it?" Gohan repeated. "I had to deal with it six years ago!" He then went into the story of what happened when Garlic Jr. returned.

"You destroyed it?" Siber asked in disbelief.

Gohan nodded. "But how could the Roxians still be affected by - of course! It would take another few millennia for the rays to stop shining on the Roxians' home planet! They would have to be at least six light-years away from us! How far is their home world from Earth?"

"Um . . . I think it's about eight thousand light-years from Earth," Siber calculated. "You mean . . . you're going to go against the Roxians? That's suicide!"

"It shouldn't be that hard," Gohan remarked. "I was easily able to defeat the Roxians at the space station."

"No!" Siber interjected. "You don't get it! Those Roxians that you eliminated were civilians! The average Roxian soldier is twenty times stronger than those six put together!"

Gohan was shocked. "You're kidding! But . . . that's as strong as I am!"

"That's not even the tip of the iceberg!" Siber told the horror-struck teen. "The officers are increasingly stronger with every rank! Then . . ."

"Then, what?"

"Then, there's the Roxian Imperial Senate: Six hundred Roxian senators, all of whom are immensely powerful, more powerful than even the Commander of Armed Forces. Of the Senate, one of them is the Emperor, but it is kept a complete secret as to whom it is. All I know about him is his power level is said to be one trillion times that of the average Roxian!"

Gohan just stood there speechless. Suddenly, he yelled, "GUYS! We have a problem!"

  
  


"THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!!" Piccolo and Vegeta shouted simultaneously. Bulma fainted, Krillin's jaw was ready to unhinge, and the androids just sat, too stunned to move or speak.

"Apparently, it isn't! That means that the Roxian emperor is 8,333,333,333 and one-third times as strong as I am!" Gohan was sweating, despite the fact that the ship was kept at room temperature. "We're going to need to get some help, and fast!"

Siber sat up. "Well, there may be a way. You see, there is a substance that acts like poison to Roxians when it comes in contact with their skin. Any type of ferric material will greatly aid us in fighting the Roxians."

Gohan's first thought was, 'What does 'ferric' mean?' but the question he asked was, "Did you say 'us?'"

Siber nodded. "You said you need help. I can offer that help. Like I said before, I am as strong as Frieza. With any luck, training will make me stronger."

Gohan was thinking for a second. Then, he said, "I got it! We need to head back to Earth!"

Piccolo looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What for?" he asked.

"Well, at least Krillin, the androids, Siber, and I should go back," Gohan explained, "because we can each enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! I can train for another twenty-five hours, and Krillin, the androids, and Siber can train for two full days!"

Piccolo shook his head. "I don't think so. It will take too much time."

"Well, we could go to Namek and wish ourselves back," Gohan said.

"That won't work, either, Gohan," Krillin said. "We have no idea as to where the Namekians were relocated. Besides, what would we use the other two wishes for?"

"Hmm . . ." Gohan sat thinking for a minute. Then suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "I got it! We can use one wish to bring back my dad! If there's anyone who could possibly help us, it's him!"

"Of course!" Krillin exclaimed. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"

"Hang on," Piccolo interrupted. "What would we use the last wish for?"

"I have an idea," Android 18 interrupted. Everybody turned to face her. "Would the dragon be able to bring back Android 16?"

"Um . . . it might," Krillin answered. "But how are we going to get to Namek? Like I said before, we don't know where it is."

Piccolo smirked. "We may not, but I'm pretty sure I know someone who does."

"Who?" Vegeta asked.

Piccolo tilted his head back and yelled, "KING KAI!! King Kai, we need your help!"

  
  


A dining table was set up outside a new house. Goku was wolfing down his food, not paying any attention to King Kai, who was telling him a joke. ". . . and so, when they get to the ninth hole . . ." He stopped, because he could hear Piccolo yelling for him. He decided to ignore it. Apparently, he had stayed silent too long, because Goku looked up, saw the scowl on King Kai's face, and nearly choked. He started fake-laughing up a storm as not to offend the martial arts master.

"Quiet! I didn't get to the punch line yet!" King Kai shouted. Goku stopped "laughing" abruptly.

"Hey, King Kai, are you all right?" Goku asked, putting his hand on King Kai's shoulder.

"KING KAI!!! ANSWER ME!"

"Holy mackerel!" Goku shouted.

"Goku, is that you?" came Piccolo's voice.

"Piccolo? Hey, King Kai! Were you ignoring Piccolo?"

"Well, it serves him right!" King Kai shouted indignantly. "I still haven't forgotten what he did when he was here!"

  
  


"Goku, King Kai, I need you to listen to me!" Piccolo shouted. "We need to use the Dragon Balls on Namek to get to Earth. You see . . ." Then Piccolo launched into the story of Gohan finding the sword and how much stronger they were going to have to be to take on the Roxians.

" . . . so you see, we need the Dragon Balls to get back to Earth to use the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and it probably wouldn't hurt to use the Pendulum Room, either."

"So you need the coordinates for Namek? Give me a sec . . . Okay, I have them. Someone got a paper and pencil?" King Kai relayed the coordinates for Namek to the androids. "Just one question, guys. What do you plan to do with the other two wishes?"

"Well," Gohan began, "we were going to bring back Dad and Android 16 with the wishes."

"Whoa, hold on a second there, bud," Goku interrupted. "I told you before, remember? I am not going. Evil follows me like a shadow. I get the feeling if I come back, someone will follow us back to Earth."

"But . . ." Gohan began.

"Gohan, you are the chosen one," Goku said. "It's in your destiny to stop these Roxannes, or whatever they're called. You won't need me."

Gohan sighed. "Oh, all right."

"Now what will we do with the last wish?" Krillin asked.

"I have an idea." Everybody whirled around to where the voice came from. It sounded like it came from Piccolo, but it was not his voice.

Suddenly, Gohan and Krillin recognized the voice simultaneously. "Nail!"

"Listen. Use the dragon to separate me from Piccolo. It's been done before in the past, and the two Nameks have the same power as the one Namek did before the separation."

"Yes!" Krillin exclaimed. "We have a winner! Let's go!"

"Hang on!" Vegeta interjected. "Just how are we going to get there without a pilot?"

"Vegeta, we already have a pilot, remember?" Krillin responded. "Bulma's our - oh." Bulma was still unconscious. "Gohan, do you have any smelling salts?"


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

  
  


"SPEAK, YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME!" Porunga commanded. "I WILL GRANT YOU THREE WISHES!"

For a moment, Piccolo was too awed by the massive dragon that he forgot to ask for the wishes. Suddenly he remembered that the Namekian eternal dragon would only grant wishes that were made in the Namekian tongue. "We want you to bring back Android 16!" Piccolo shouted in Namekian.

Porunga's eyes glowed for a moment, then it said, "IT IS DONE. THE SIXTEENTH ANDROID BUILT BY THE ONE CALLED GERO HAS BEEN RESTORED. WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

Piccolo hesitated for a moment, unsure of what would happen. Finally, he spoke up. "Separate Nail from my body, with my power level staying what it is and his power level equal to mine!"

Again, the giant dragon's eyes glowed. Suddenly, another body fought its way out of Piccolo's body, as if Piccolo was performing a Split-Form technique. However, the Namekian that fought his way out wore clothing much different from Piccolo's clothing: This Namek had no cape or turban; the only things covering up his upper body were a navy blue vest and a large, white, wrinkled collar; and he wore white pants with a red belt.

Nail turned to Piccolo and smirked. "You know, you didn't have to give all of those terms to Porunga," he said. Piccolo merely ignored him.

"We want you now to take all of us, our spaceship, and Android 16 to Kami's Lookout on Earth!" Piccolo shouted. Porunga's eyes glowed once more, and one by one, everybody disappeared.

  
  


Mr. Popo was watering the flowers when something caught his attention. Someone had just appeared, as if out of thin air. It was a very tall, red-haired man wearing a black body suit and green armor. A Capsule Corporation patch was fixed on his armor.

Android 16 looked around in surprise. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud. "What happened to Cell?"

Suddenly, Bulma appeared right next to Mr. Popo. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "It worked!"

Android 16 looked at Bulma. "Bulma? Where are we? I thought . . . "

"You were destroyed by Cell and we brought you back with the Namekian Dragon Balls," Bulma responded. One by one, the space travelers appeared, and the ship appeared at the base of the tower. However, the last to appear was . . .

"NAIL!!" Everybody turned around to see Dende standing in front of the door to the sanctuary. He dashed up to his mentor. "Nail! I thought you fused with Piccolo!"

"I did," Nail told him. "We used the Namekian Dragon Balls to bring me back."

"You used the Namekian Dragon Balls?" Dende asked. "Why did you use them to come back here?"

"We learned how strong our adversaries are," Gohan said, "and we need to train, so we came back."

"How did you find out how strong your opponents are?" Dende asked. "It doesn't look like you have been in battle."

"Our new friend told us," Gohan answered. Siber stepped out from behind Piccolo.

Dende screamed in horror and ran up against the wall. "NO! FRIEZA!!"

"Dende, relax!" Nail shouted. "This isn't Frieza! This is Siber, who is a member of Frieza's species!"

Dende took a deep breath and walked back up to the space travelers. "Oh. Anyway, how does he know about your enemies?"

"I've been enslaved by a group of Roxians for three years," Siber answered.

"Yeah, and he says that the average Roxian foot soldier has a power level equal to mine," Gohan told the young guardian.

"What?"

"No way!"

"What the . . . ?" Gohan jumped in surprise.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Dende said, "you're not the only ones who decided to come back here to train." Tien and Yamcha walked out of the sanctuary.

"An alien race with foot soldiers as powerful as Gohan?" Yamcha asked in disbelief. "How is that even possible?"

"Well, first, I want to know why you guys were in space," Tien said. "You couldn't have gone pleasure cruising." Before anyone could answer, however, there was an interruption.

"Hey, guys!"

"Goku!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Is that you? What's up?"

"Actually, quite a bit," Goku said. "We have a guest who wants to speak to you."

  
  


Goku took his hand off of King Kai's shoulder and turned to their guest. "Okay, it's your turn." The guest walked up and placed his hand on King Kai's shoulder.

  
  


"Hello. It's been a while."

"Who is that?" Dende asked, nonplused. Yamcha, Tien, and Siber knew no more than Earth's guardian, but Vegeta had been rendered speechless, Bulma had fainted, Gohan's eyes had gone extremely wide, and Krillin had turned as white as a sheet.

"What?!" Piccolo exclaimed. "No way! Impossible! It's . . . Raditz!!"


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

"Hello. It's been a while."

"Who is that?" Dende asked, nonplused. Yamcha, Tien, and Siber knew no more than Earth's guardian, but Vegeta had been rendered speechless, Bulma had fainted, Gohan's eyes had gone extremely wide, and Krillin had turned as white as a sheet.

"What?!" Piccolo exclaimed. "No way! Impossible! It's . . . Raditz!!"

"So you remember me, green man," Raditz responded.

"Raditz, you wimp, haven't I taught you anything?" Vegeta yelled. "This 'green man' is from the planet Namek! You didn't realize that?"

  
  


"What the . . . ? Is that you, Vegeta?" Raditz was as surprised as the space travelers to find his prince still alive. He turned to Goku. "Kakarot! Why didn't you tell me Vegeta was still alive?"

Goku shrugged. "I thought you knew. I mean, you've never seen him in the afterlife, have you?"

"Kakarot, I was a prisoner for years!" Raditz exclaimed. "Prisoners hear no news!"

"Well, be that as it may," King Kai interrupted, "you need to get on with your message! This isn't a collect call, got it?"

Raditz glared at King Kai, but he went on with his message anyway. "Listen to me. I know what is going on, and it sounds like you need some extra manpower. You need to wish me back with the Dragon Balls!"

  
  


"Say WHAT?" Krillin exclaimed. "Are you nuts?!"

"Quiet!" Vegeta yelled at Krillin. "Let me speak to Raditz!" He stood straight and cleared his throat. "Listen, Raditz, because I'm only going to say this once. The Dragon Balls of the planet Earth can revive a person, but if and only if he or she had died within one year of the wish. The only way we can revive you is if we used the Dragon Balls of the planet Namek, but we can't use those for another one hundred fifty days."

  
  


"I have an idea," King Kai said. "Why don't you have Shenron reactivate the Namekian Dragon Balls?"

  
  


"Of course!" Vegeta exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"Let's see . . . because you have the I/Q of a fish?" Android 17 responded.

"If I have the I/Q of a fish, then your I/Q is negative!" Vegeta shot back.

"If you're done insulting each other, maybe we can actually produce a plan!" Piccolo shouted at them.

  
  


Eight days later . . .

  
  


"SPEAK, YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME!" Shenron proclaimed. "I WILL GRANT YOU ANY TWO WISHES THAT YOU DESIRE."

"Um. . . . Can you give us unlimited fuel for our spaceship?" Bulma shouted.

Shenron's eyes glowed for a moment. "IT IS DONE. YOUR SPACESHIP NOW HAS UNLIMITED FUEL. WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

"Any ideas?" Bulma asked. No one answered. However, Gohan stood, thinking. Suddenly, he had an idea.

"Please transport us and our spaceship to the planet Yardrat!" Gohan shouted. Everybody turned to look at him in surprise. "Well, you see," Gohan explained, "I figured since we wished King Kai, Bubbles, and Gregory back, along with their tiny planet, a few of us could go to receive his training." Right then, everybody disappeared.

  
  


"Dad! Can you hear me?" Gohan called.

  
  


"Goku!" King Kai called. "Your son wants to speak to you!" Goku, who was finishing up the dim sum, came out and placed his hand on King Kai's shoulder. "Gohan? What is it?"

  
  


"Dad!" Gohan called. "I need you to power up to your maximum so I can teleport to King Kai's planet! You see, we went to the planet Yardrat and I learned Instant Transmission, and I want to train under King Kai!"

  
  


"Whoa! Hang on a minute!" Goku exclaimed. "Not so fast! You need to receive permission from King Yemma!"

"Goku, I have already taken care if it!" King Kai responded. "I knew Gohan was learning Instant Transmission to come here, so I got King Yemma to let him come!"

"Well, all right," Goku said. He lifted his hand from King Kai's shoulder. "Guys, you need to stand back." When King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory were safely away, Goku began to power up. He had just reached his maximum when Gohan suddenly appeared. The next thing he knew, Gohan had tackled him so hard that he got knocked back several feet.

Goku got up, laughing. "Well, it was a good thing I was at my maximum, or I would have actually gotten hurt."

King Kai walked over. "Welcome, Gohan. I see you're quite the party crasher . . . heh heh!" 

Gohan got up and brushed himself off. "I'm sorry, did you just say something?" he asked.

"Hmph! So you wanna train under me, huh? All right, make me laugh, and you're in!"

Gohan's reaction was exactly like his father's had been: "Wha?"

"Heh! You must be pretty tense!" King Kai said. "Take it easy! A bad delivery can ruin a good joke!"

Gohan crossed his arms and thought for a moment. "Umm . . . why . . . was six afraid of seven? Cause . . . seven-eight-nine!" He delivered the joke in the exact same fashion that his father had delivered his first joke.

"Nope," King Kai responded. "Bad delivery." Then, he attempted to stifle a laugh.

Gohan smirked. "Because . . . seven-eight-NINE!!" King Kai began to attempt to stifle a laughing fit.

"Didja hear about the butcher who backed up into the meat grinder? He got a little BEHIND in his work!" It was too much for King Kai, and he could no longer stifle his laughter.

"Joe's mama is so fat, when she steps on a scale, it reads, 'To be continued!'" King Kai could take it no more, and he began to roll around in laughter.

"What are you talkin' about?" Gohan began in a flawless impersonation of John F. Kennedy. "Nothin' bad eva happens to the Kennedys!" This one even got Goku to laugh, let alone King Kai.

  
  


"Ahem! So," King Kai said. "Well, you certainly passed with flying colors! Now, for the first task . . . Oh, Bubbles!" A monkey ran out of the house and up to King Kai. "Okay, your first task is to catch Bubbles here."

Gohan stared. "Uh, you're joking, right? Well, to be fair, I think I'll give Bubbles a ten-second head start."

"Well, do as you wish," King Kai responded. "Okay, Bubbles, go!" Bubbles tore away from where King Kai was standing. Gohan counted down, then disappeared. A second later, he reappeared, holding Bubbles.

"Okay, now could we please stop monkeying around?" Gohan remarked (King Kai began cracking up). "I need to hurry."

"Okay. Now . . . Gregory!" Suddenly, a blue sphere burst forth from King Kai's house. It whizzed around Gohan, then stopped. The sphere dissipated and Gohan saw a grasshopper. King Kai grabbed a hammer.

"Okay . . . now what?" Gohan asked. "Am I supposed to hit the grasshopper with the hammer?"

"Hey! I have a name, you know!" Gregory exclaimed. "How rude!"

King Kai tossed the hammer to Gohan, who caught it in one hand. "This is going to be easier than taking candy from a baby."

"Don't be so cocky!" Gregory exclaimed. "I'm much faster than I look!"

"Well, in that case, I'll give you a five-second head start instead of ten," Gohan responded.

"I'll show you!" Gregory powered up and whizzed right by Gohan. Gohan counted down, then disappeared. He reappeared right in front of Gregory, and "lightly" tapped him on the head with the hammer.

"Checkmate," Gohan remarked. "Now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Are you kidding?" Gregory exclaimed. "My body has been super-conditioned, silly! There's no way you could hurt me with that hammer!"

"Oh, yeah?" Gohan responded. "Then what's that on your head?"

Gregory felt his head and found a lump. "Ack! Why . . . you . . . !"

"All right!" Goku exclaimed. "It looks like you're ready!"


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Author's Note: One reviewer commented that King Kai would have known that his two tests would be useless with Gohan. However, in one episode (I can't remember which, but it was during the Namek Saga) Piccolo asks King Kai to just cut to the chase. King Kai's response is, "Nope. Sorry. You must go through the proper procedure like everyone else." That is the reason why King Kai tests Gohan in this story.

  
  


"Okay," King Kai told Gohan. "This is your last day of training under me." King Kai took a brick and launched it at an extremely high speed. Gohan focused on the energy, with his eyes shut and his hands in the air. Soon, white energy flowed and pulsed around his body.

"Now, remember," King Kai said, "focus the energy into your hand and form it into a ball . . ." Gohan let his left arm down and held out his right arm. Pretty soon the energy gathered itself around Gohan's hand. Gohan pulled his hand back and then launched the energy at the brick. The Spirit Bomb hit the brick dead on and blew it up. Gohan managed to do all of this without even breaking a sweat or becoming winded.

"Excellent!" King Kai exclaimed. "You were able to handle the Spirit Bomb very well! I guess it's true what they say: Like father, like son!"

  
  


"Well, I guess it's time for me to go," Gohan said. "The others are waiting for me, and I can only hope that Vegeta, Piccolo, and Android 17 haven't killed each other yet." Gohan said his goodbyes to everyone and disappeared.

"Gohan . . . good luck," Goku said to himself.

  
  


Gohan reappeared on the bridge of the spaceship. Bulma was taking a nap, Piccolo was meditating, Android 18 was reading a fashion magazine, and Android 16 was resting. He could hear Vegeta and Raditz sparring. Krillin walked into the bridge, yawning. When he saw Gohan, his eyes widened and his jaw actually closed. "Gohan!" he exclaimed, startling Android 18 and waking Android 16 and Bulma. "You're back! How'd it go?"

Piccolo emerged from his meditation. "Yeah, I'd also like to know how you managed with that old coot."

"Actually, Piccolo, I learned two new techniques," Gohan said. "I learned the Kaio-Ken and the Spirit Bomb from King Kai."

"So, how's your dad doing?" Bulma asked.

"I guess he's okay," Gohan said. "I wish he'd come back, though."

Bulma grabbed the microphone from the instrument panel. "Ladies and gentlemen, please come to the bridge and prepare for takeoff. That includes you, Vegeta, and Raditz!"

  
  


Gohan could not sleep that night. It seemed that the insomnia was kicking in again. Feeling that trying any further to go to sleep was futile, he got up and left his room. Interestingly enough, he saw that Raditz had his door open and his light on, for he was still awake.

Raditz looked up from his thoughts. "What are you doing up?" he asked his nephew. "You should be asleep."

"I could say the same to you," Gohan responded. "When did you start caring about my well-being?"

"Since you learned of your destiny to save the universe," Raditz answered. "Besides, Kakarot had me promise to take care of you, and a Saiyan will never break a formal promise. The 'promise' I gave to your father when we fought on Earth was not a formal Saiyan promise, so I had no qualms about breaking it."

"Formal or informal, you should always keep your promises," Gohan said. "Why are you up so late?"

"I was thinking," Raditz answered.

"About what?" Gohan asked.

"Here, there's a chair in here. You might as well sit down," Raditz said.

  
  


(Author's Note: The rest of this chapter will be told in Raditz's POV.)

One day, the Ginyu Force dropped in, quite literally. They fell in the Bloody Pond and caused a big commotion. Goz and Mez were completely distracted by the Ginyu Force, so I used the opportunity and escaped. I knew of a secret passage because I had overheard Mez telling Kakarot about it. I sneaked up the staircase, and to my surprise, I found myself in a drawer at King Yemma's desk! Somehow, though, I lucked out. King Yemma was busy and didn't notice my appearance, so I managed to escape. Eventually, I found my way to a long winding route called Snake Way. I began flying over it. I don't know why I did, but I think I had this gut feeling. After about a week of flying, I came across a castle. I went up to the front, and the entrance turned into a giant snake's head and sucked me in! I landed in a lobby in front of a teal-skinned lady. She called Princess Snake into the room, and she became infatuated with me, just like she had with my brother! She managed to trick me into staying with her food. Apparently it was filled with some sleep-inducing ingredient and I collapsed right at the table.

When I came to, I found myself in a bed next to a sleeping Princess Snake, and I didn't have any clothes on! I panicked, but I found myself chained to the bed. I ended up becoming her "pet" for almost seven years. However, I kept "misbehaving," and Princess Snake got so fed up with me that she decided to eat me!

I found myself in a snake's stomach. I managed to fly out through her mouth. Princess Snake, in her snake form, gave chase, spitting fire. I tried to blast her, but it merely bounced off of her skin. Unfortunately, she was gaining on me, but all of a sudden, she stopped, for who should show up but my own brother! Kakarot stopped right in front of her and told her that she would have to go through him to get to me! Princess Snake merely laughed, but then Kakarot began powering up. Suddenly, his hair turned gold and stood up, and his eyes turned green. I was shocked! What had happened to Kakarot? Then, I found out when he told Princess Snake: He was a Super Saiyan! Suddenly, Kakarot was next to me with his left hand on his wrist and his index and middle fingers on his forehead. The next thing I knew, I was floating above a tiny planet. Kakarot brought me down to the surface and I met King Kai. That was when we made contact with you. While I waited to be wished back, I had to catch King Kai's pet monkey and hit his grasshopper friend in the head with a sledgehammer. Finally, you wished me back to life.


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

  
  


"Okay, guys, strap yourselves in," Bulma said, hard at work at the controls. "We don't know what's down there, so we could be in for one heck of a landing."

"All I hope is that the landing is smoother than the two you made on our way to Namek," Krillin said.

"Maybe if you shut up, I'll do a better job!" Bulma snapped irritably. "Hey, wait a second . . . this planet has no surface!"

"Smooth move!" Vegeta exclaimed. "You go in for a landing on a gas giant!"

Suddenly, something on the spaceship's sensors caught Bulma's attention. "Hey, look at this! This planet is inhabited!"

"That's absurd!" Vegeta shouted. "No gas giant - unless - call up a star chart!" However, at Vegeta's words, a star chart hologram had been projected from the side of the bridge. Vegeta zoomed in on their location. "Aha! That explains everything!" Vegeta turned toward everyone else. "We're about to make a landing on the planet Quarr. Quarr is a gas giant with a liquid krypton outer core and a solid graphite core. This is the only known gas giant in the galaxy to support life. The Quarrans are an avian race able to withstand extreme atmospheric pressure, and they are courteous to aliens. One thousand years ago, they began constructing cities that could float in the sky at standard atmospheric pressure."

While Vegeta had been talking, Gohan had pulled out his periodic table and found krypton. "Hey, wait! What is the average temperature of Quarr?"

Bulma checked one of the scanners on the control panel. "It looks to me like it is about room temperature, why?"

"According to the periodic table," Gohan said, "krypton is a gas at room temperature. Why is the krypton on Quarr liquid?"

"It's because of all the pressure," Bulma said. "You know how the oxygen in cigarette lighters is liquid? It's because it's under heavy pressure. The molecules are pressed so tightly that they act like a liquid rather than a gas." She checked her radar. "Okay, we have clearance to land! Buckle your seat belts!"

  
  


As the space travelers descended from the spaceship, a group of Quarrans came onto the platform to greet them. They had broad, muscular bodies and looked humanoid except that they had leathery wings protruding from their shoulders and their feet were webbed. They were dressed in white robes. "Greetings, friends," the lead Quarran said. "I am Lapan, and I will be your guide to the Quarran city of Quiln. May I ask what brings you to our planet?"

"We have been searching for something," Piccolo responded.

"And what would that be, Mr. Namek?" Lapan asked.

"We're looking for a-" Piccolo began, but his statement was cut short by a piercing scream that came from outside the hangar. The Quarran welcoming committee ran out of the hangar, followed by the space travelers. Outside the hangar, a small group of Quarrans were surrounded by a gang that wore black jumpsuits and masks.

"Oh, no!" Lapan exclaimed. "It's the Wraiths!"

"I beg your pardon?" Krillin asked.

"The Wraiths are a gang on Quiln," Lapan said. "They are wanted on charges of general mayhem."

Gohan clenched his teeth. "Scoundrels!" he exclaimed. Without warning, he threw himself at the gang. "Hold it!"

"Yeah, what do you want?" one of the Wraiths demanded.

"I want you to leave those people alone, or else!" Gohan exclaimed.

The Wraiths broke into a chorus of laughter. "Yeah, who's going to stop us, kid?" one of them shot back. "You?"

"You'd better believe it!" Gohan shouted. In an instant, five Wraiths fell to the ground, unconscious. Gohan had knocked them all out, but he moved so fast that it was impossible to tell that he had moved. A couple of seconds later, only two Wraiths remained standing.

"All right, now you've done it, kid!" one Wraith shouted. "BOSS!" 

From behind a building, a large, black Quarran with eyes that glowed red appeared. "Hey boss, this punk thinks he can take us down!" on Wraith said. "He knocked out everyone else!"

"Is that so?" the boss said. "Well, he'll have a hard time against me!"

"That's what you think!" Gohan exclaimed. "My power level is billions of times stronger than yours!"

"This is not a matter of power levels," Boss Wraith said. "You will not be able to touch me. Observe." He walked over to one of the Quarrans and put his hand in the Quarran's face. The Quarren screamed and melted into a puddle of liquid. "You see, any life form that touches me is liquefied."

Gohan was burning with rage. "How dare you take someone's life in such a manner!" he screamed. "You have made a mistake! I don't need to touch you to get rid of you!" Gohan powered up and began firing energy blasts from his hands. The energy made a dome around Boss Wraith. Gohan pulled back, forming a ball of energy in his right hand. "Masenko . . . HA!" The ball of energy hit the dome and caused it to erupt in a pillar of energy. Suddenly, the energy began collapsing on itself and imploded. Boss Wraith was still standing there.

"Why, thank you," Boss Wraith said. "I was quite hungry, but your attacks satisfied my appetite. Now, do you have any last wishes before you become a puddle of goo?"

Gohan reached back to grab his sword, but a hand was placed firmly on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Android 16. The android walked right up to Boss Wraith.

"No, 16!" Gohan shouted. "What are you doing?"

Boss Wraith laughed and put his hand in Android 16's face, but 16 grabbed Boss Wraith's arm and twisted it so that it was pulled right off of his body.

Boss Wraith gasped. "How . . . ? Why were you not liquefied?"

"Though I may look like it, I am not an organism," Android 16 said. "I am an android." Then, Android 16 punched right through Boss Wraith's chest. Boss Wraith collapsed to the floor, dead. Android 16 looked up at the last two Wraiths. The Wraiths looked at each other, then got down on their knees in surrender.

  
  


The space travelers, escorted by Lapan, arrived in the governor's office. Lapan bowed and said to the governor, "Sir, these people are immensely powerful. The youth and the tall one with red hair singlehandedly captured the Wraiths and killed their leader."

Governor Supan's eyes widened in surprise. "You killed one of the most dangerous beings on the planet?" Android 16 nodded. "How can you people be so powerful? I can understand the Namek being strong, but aren't the rest of you humans?"

Gohan shook his head. "No, only these three-" he pointed at Krillin, Tien, and Yamcha- "are humans. These three are androids, and Siber is of the same species as Frieza. These two - Raditz and Vegeta - are Saiyans."

The governor was amazed that an inhabitant of Earth knew so much about alien species. "Well, what about you, son?"

"Well, I'm a half-human, half-Saiyan," Gohan said. "Right now I'm one of the most powerful people in the galaxy, or so I'm told."

"A Saiyan and a human . . .? Amazing!" Supan looked at Raditz and Vegeta. "I assume one of these is your father? Or is it Nappa?"

"No," Gohan answered. "My father was a Saiyan that had escaped Frieza's knowledge. He was sent to destroy Earth, but he forgot when he lost his memory. In fact, my father was the Saiyan who defeated Frieza."

"Well, then, may I ask of you a favor?" Supan asked. "We've been having trouble with a certain group of aliens. They have constructed a floating factory that hovers about half a kilometer above the krypton outer core of this planet. They are polluting the atmosphere and they occasionally come up to this level to cause trouble. We have tried to stop them, but they are just far too strong for us to handle. Perhaps you can help us."

"These aliens," Piccolo began, "what do they call themselves?"

"Uh . . . I believe they're called oxen?" Krillin stifled a laugh.

"Do these aliens have four arms, mushroom-like heads, and a species-wide fixation with evil?" Siber asked.

"Um, I don't know about the entire species being evil, but yes."

"The Roxians!" Gohan exclaimed.

"What would they want here?" Siber wondered.

"Well, they want to take over the entire universe, don't they?" Gohan answered. "They're probably on every planet now . . . . Oh, no! Earth!"

"Relax, Gohan!" Piccolo interrupted. "If they were on Earth when we left, we would have felt them!"

Gohan did not respond. Instead, he looked at the governor. "We accept your offer, but we will not be able to survive the atmospheric pressure at that level."

Supan opened a closet, and inside were four white suits. "I have some pressure suits for alien visitors, but I only have four."

"We understand," Gohan said. "Well, I have to go, considering I'm the strongest and the one with Testament, but my three companions . . . hmmm . . ."

  
  


Whom will Gohan choose to accompany him? What are the Roxians doing on Quarr? And, will our heroes be able to stop them? Find out in the next installment! Oh, and don't forget to review, and keep in mind that I will consider your input as to whom goes with Gohan!


	10. Chapter Ten

The Chosen One

Chapter Ten

Gohan, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Krillin descended toward the Roxian facility. Suddenly, Krillin stopped. "Hey, you guys! Wait!"

Gohan, Piccolo, and Vegeta stopped and turned to face Krillin. "What is it, Krillin?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I had been thinking," Krillin said.

"You're not chickening out on us, are you?" Piccolo joked.

"No, of course not!" Krillin responded. "It had occurred to me that the Roxians may have security devices that would alert them to intruders like us! They may already know!"

"Look, if they knew, we'd be in the middle of a battle!" Vegeta said.

"Nevertheless, Krillin may be right," Piccolo said. "It would probably help if we push down our power levels."

The four landed on a landing pad and walked up to the door.Gohan tried to find a handle or something to open it, but found nothing. He slipped his fingers between the door and the wall and pulled. However, the door was locked.

"Hey, guys! Look at this!" Krillin said to the others. "I think I found how to get in! There's some writing here, but I can't read it."

"Stand aside, baldie!" Vegeta ordered as he looked at the door controls. Then, he swore loudly. "It's a retinal scanner! Only authorized personnel can get through!"

"Perfect," Piccolo groaned. "Now what?"

Suddenly, Vegeta blasted the device. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Piccolo exclaimed.

Vegeta grabbed a wire. "What does it look like?"

Gohan laughed. The idea of Vegeta messing with electronics seemed absurd. However, hot-wiring the door seemed like their best bet. A few moments later, the door opened.

"Okay, this is just too weird," Krillin remarked. "Not only is Vegeta doing things the subtle way, but now he's also an electrical wizard."

  
  


The group sneaked through the hallways of the facility, Vegeta interpreting directions to the command room. On two occasions, they encountered a security drone, but each time, Piccolo punched a hole through them with a Special Beam Cannon before any alarms were sounded. Finally, after what seemed like half an hour, they found their way into the command room. As soon as they entered, Vegeta shut the door and locked it.

"One thing that concerns me," Gohan said as he laid his helmet down (the air pressure inside the facility was at a normal level), "is that we didn't see any Roxians around. This may be some sort of a trap."

Vegeta pointed at the central computer. "Look at that. I don't know about you, but it looks like it's online to me." He started to charge an energy blast.

"Vegeta, wait!" Gohan exclaimed. "I think we should try to figure out just exactly what the Roxians are doing here. The more intel we have, the better." Gohan looked around the room and saw several tanks near the walls, each bearing the same inscription. Gohan pointed to a tank. "Vegeta, what does it say on the tanks?"

Vegeta looked at the tanks. "It says 'krypton.' Why?"

"So that's what they're doing here!" Krillin realized. "It seems they're harvesting krypton from Quarr's outer core! But why?"

Gohan walked up to the computer and hit a few buttons on the keyboard. "Hey, Vegeta, do these keyboards have the same letter arrangement as the ones on Earth?"

"Yes, why?"

Gohan cracked his knuckles. "Well, I'm going to try to hack into the main server."

"What? Since when do you know how to hack into a computer?" Krillin asked.

"Over the past summer, I took a Web design course," Gohan explained. "I happened to make friends with a hacker. He taught me a few tricks, but I'm nowhere as good as he is. Okay, Vegeta, I'll need you to interpret for me."

"Right now, there's a password screen," Vegeta said. Gohan began typing away. In a few minutes, Vegeta told him he got past the password screen. He now had access to a data log. Gohan opened the data log and Vegeta began to scan it. In a few moments, he was clearly puzzled.

"Strange," Vegeta remarked. "It seems they're using the krypton in a series of fissions, and they're trying to produce water and oxygen."

"Does it say why?" Krillin asked.

"Did I tell you why?" Vegeta snapped. "If it said why, I'd tell you!"

"Okay, jeez! I was just asking!"

"Gohan, scroll down more," Vegeta instructed. Gohan obliged, and Vegeta continued to read. He shook his head. "It doesn't say why. I guess we'll have to beat it out of a couple of Roxians."

Gohan backed out of the data log, but then, a message flashed. "Damn!" Vegeta exclaimed. "We're being traced! Get out, NOW!"

Gohan frantically tried to back out. "It's no good! We're stuck, and I can't kill the trace!"

"Get out of the way!" Vegeta yelled. Gohan dived away as Vegeta blasted the computer to pieces.

Suddenly, alarms blared and lights flashed. "Alert! Alert! Central computer has been destroyed!"

"Smooth move!" Krillin yelled. "You just set off the security system!"

"Krillin, it was a Catch-22," Gohan said. "If Vegeta hadn't blown up the central computer, we would have been caught anyway."

Suddenly, there was pounding on the door. "Open up!"

"The Roxians!" Krillin exclaimed.

"Stay calm!" Piccolo shouted. "We can beat them!"

"Move! Move, you ingrates!" someone shouted outside the room. "I said MOVE!" Suddenly, the door was destroyed and a single Roxian entered the room.

"So these are the Roxians?" Vegeta inquired. "They sure are an ugly bunch. I bet every time God creates one of them, 'Oops, I Did it Again' plays in his head!"

The Roxian turned to face Vegeta. "What's your name?"

"You're supposed to state your name before you ask for someone else's," Vegeta remarked.

The Roxian grumbled. "Fine. I'm Lt. Sagrak. Now, tell me your name!" Vegeta obliged. "Vegeta, for that, you go first."

Vegeta laughed. "Obviously, you are ignorant to the goings-on in the galaxy! If you weren't, my name would ring a bell!"

"Hey!" Sagrak exclaimed. "I remember now! Vegeta was that puny Saiyan who got his tail kicked by that weakling, Frieza!"

Krillin gasped. "Frieza, a weakling? Oh, this is just great!"

"Well, that was years ago!" Vegeta said. "Didn't it occur to you that I would get stronger? I hope you realize that I am now what Frieza had most feared!" With that, he pulled his fists to his sides and focused. Gohan, Krillin, and Piccolo could feel the Saiyan prince's power level surging upward. Suddenly, Vegeta began to yell, and he became surrounded by a golden aura. His hair turned gold and his eyes turned green. He had become a Super Saiyan.

"Now, what have we here?" Sagrak asked.

"I am your worst nightmare!" Vegeta exclaimed. "I am a Super Saiyan!"

Sagrak activated his scouter and laughed. "I see your power level is much higher than Frieza's was, but you're still no match for me."

Suddenly, something moved from the corner of the room. Gohan had charged forward, but Vegeta stopped him with a hand. "Stand back, kid! I can do this myself!" With that, Vegeta threw himself at Sagrak. He threw a punch, but Sagrak moved his head to the side. Vegeta threw a kick, but Sagrak jumped over the prince's leg. Vegeta then attacked with a flurry of punches, but Sagrak managed to dodge every one of them and disappeared.

Vegeta looked around. "Damn! Where did he go?"

Sagrak appeared right behind Vegeta. "Right here." Sagrak landed a punch on the back of Vegeta's head. Vegeta went flying headfirst into a wall and slumped down. His hair returned to normal. He had been knocked out.

Sagrak walked up to Vegeta and began to charge an energy blast. "Say good-bye, worm!" Suddenly, a pair of boots connected with his head and he went flying. Gohan landed in front of Vegeta and began powering up. In a matter of minutes he was at full power.

Sagrak laughed. "Another Super Saiyan? This is too easy!"

"I'm not just a Super Saiyan," Gohan responded. "I am at the next level. I am many times more powerful than Vegeta."

"You're just the same to me!" Sagrak exclaimed and disappeared. He reappeared behind Gohan and threw a punch. Gohan, however, turned around, ducked under the punch, and caught Sagrak in the chest with a punch. He followed it up with a kick to the Roxian's face. Sagrak went flying and bounced off a krypton tank. Gohan fired a few energy blasts, but Sagrak blocked them.

  
  


Piccolo was watching the two warriors fight when he made two realizations: first, Sagrak was not using any energy attacks; and second, Sagrak was redirecting all of Gohan's energy attacks away from the krypton tanks. Piccolo held up his right index and middle fingers and began to charge.

"Piccolo!" Krillin exclaimed. "What are you doing?" Piccolo, however, ignored him. Instead, he aimed his fingers at a krypton tank and yelled, "Special Beam Cannon!" The beam lanced forward and hit one of the krypton tanks.

KABOOM!

The krypton tank exploded with more force than Piccolo had expected. Apparently, the krypton was kept under pressure.

"NO!" Sagrak exclaimed. "You don't realize what you have done!" Immediately, the Roxian fell over on all sixes.

"Hey!" Gohan exclaimed. "His power level is going down!"

"All right!" Krillin shouted. "These goons have a weakness!"

"His power level is still to high for me to destroy!" Gohan said. "If I try, I'll blow up the facility and kill all of us!"

"Then let me do the job!" Krillin answered. He held his right arm up in the air. "Destructo-Disc!" A disc of pure energy formed above Krillin's head. He threw it and it cleaved Sagrak in two, hit a krypton tank, and exploded.

Gohan looked at the remains of the Roxian. "That's just disgusting."

"We have no time to waste!" Piccolo exclaimed, grabbing his helmet. "Let's get out of here!"

  
  


Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin (who was holding Vegeta) were hovering outside the Roxian facility. Piccolo and Krillin flew back as Gohan charged an attack.

"Kaaa . . . meee . . . haaa . . . meee . . . HAAA!" The Kamehameha lanced forward from Gohan's hands and hit the facility, completely annihilating it. Then, he turned around and followed Piccolo and Krillin.


	11. Chapter Eleven

The Chosen One

Chapter 11

"That's it . . ." Tien said. "Just a little more . . ." Gohan stood on the other side of the training room, his arms crossed and his energy focused. Suddenly, one more Gohan appeared in the room. The Gohans stopped focusing their energy and stood up straight.

"Excellent!" Tien exclaimed. "You've done it! Now, do you both have the personal gravity devices?" Both Gohans looked at their wrists and nodded. "Okay, then I'll leave and let you two go at it."

  
  


The next morning, Gohan lay in his bed, thinking. First, he thought of Quarr. The governor had promised Gohan a reward for getting rid of the Roxians, but Gohan did not know what he wanted yet. He asked for more time to think about it, and the governor was happy to oblige. Also, today was his sixteenth birthday. He wondered if anybody else remembered. Suddenly, an announcement rang through the ship. "Gohan, this is Bulma! We need you on the bridge!" Gohan was about to leave the room when he remembered that he was wearing only his boxers. Quickly, he pulled on his battle armor and he ran up to the bridge.

Gohan was surprised to find the lights off. He slid his hand along the wall, fumbling for the switch. He found it and turned the lights on.

"SURPRISE!!" Gohan blinked. Everybody was there and the bridge was decorated. There was a table with breakfast on it, and a birthday cake sat in the middle, bearing the message HAPPY BIRTHDAY GOHAN! Gohan sat at the table and began to eat breakfast.

  
  


WHAM!

The entire ship shook and the empty dishes were thrown from the table. Bulma ran to the pilot's seat and pulled up a hologram of the ship. A section on the port wing was flashing.

WHAM!

The ship shook again and everyone but Bulma was thrown to the floor. Flashing lights came on. Frantically, Bulma checked outside the ship and was shocked at what she saw. "You guys!" Bulma shouted. "We're in the middle of an asteroid field! Strap yourselves in!" Bulma tried her best to navigate through the asteroids, but they were too numerous and kept hitting the ship. A light began to flash on the control panel. "Oh, no! We're caught in a planet's gravitational pull! Hang on!" The ship began a sudden nosedive at the planet, made it into the atmosphere, and began picking up speed. Bulma pulled back as hard as she could, but she was unable to stop the descent. Bulma activated the landing gear, reduced the incline of the dive as much as she could, and braced for impact.

  
  


Gohan woke up on his back, gazing up at the morning sky. He tried to get up, but pain suddenly shot through his right leg. He could tell right away that it was broken, and noticed he had no control over his left arm. Using his right arm and left leg, he pushed off and hovered for a moment. He then moved to the ship. From what he could tell, it was in bad shape. The nose cone had been broken in two, the wings had been reduced to rubble, and two engines were severely damaged. Gohan pulled a pouch from his belt. Somehow, the Senzu Beans Korin had given him were still intact. He popped one in his mouth and felt feeling return to his arm and pain recede from his leg. Gohan then drifted over to Piccolo and began to shake him in order to wake him up.

"Oh, man . . ."

"Piccolo!" Gohan exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

Piccolo opened his eyes. "Yeah, I guess so." He then lifted up his right arm and saw only a stump.

"Oh man!" Gohan yelped. "Here! You need a Senzu Bean!"

"Save it," Piccolo said. He then focused his energy and a new arm shot out.

A few minutes later, everyone else was found and revived. "So, where are we?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know," Bulma said. "I doubt the star chart is intact."

Vegeta sighed. "Honestly, woman, you must think we're all as ill-prepared as you. I have a portable star chart right here!" Vegeta pulled a wafer-thin device out from underneath his armor and pressed a button. A holographic star chart came up. After looking at it for a few minutes, Vegeta put it away.

"We are on the planet Gabria, about two hundred light years from Earth," Vegeta explained. "The Gabrians are a welcoming race with angel-like wings on their backs. They live in a monarchy with knights and a kingdom, just like my home planet had been."

"Where is the nearest Gabrian settlement?" Gohan asked. "Our ship is too badly damaged to fly. We need to repair it."

"Yeah, but that's going to be a problem," Bulma said. "I don't have the necessary replacement parts, and I only have Earth money."

  
  


"Absolutely not!" Bulma had found only one repair shop in town that had all the parts she needed, and the shop's owner refused to take Earth money. "Earth money is useless here! I need shekels!"

"Is there a currency exchange station nearby?" Gohan asked.

"I told you before, Earth money is worth nothing here!" the shop's owner said. "The only way for you to get shekels is to earn them!"

"Yeah, well, thanks for nothing," Bulma remarked and walked out of the shop. Gohan, however, stopped to look at a poster.

"Hey! This is perfect!" Gohan exclaimed.

Bulma turned around. "What's perfect?" she asked.

"Look at this!" Gohan responded. "There's a two-on-two fighting tournament today! The winners get two million shekels each!"

Bulma whipped around to look at the shop's owner. "Excuse me, but can you tell me how much these parts are going to cost altogether?"

The shop's owner pulled out a calculator. "About one hundred thousand shekels," he answered.

"YES!"

  
  


"So you're saying we just have to win a tournament?" Android 18 asked. "It'll be easier than taking candy from a baby."

"Not necessarily," Piccolo responded. "We don't know how strong the fighters in this tournament are. Our best bet is to have Gohan be one of the competitors. His teammate should be someone who knows his fighting style well and works well with him."

"I'll do it," Krillin said. "My knowledge of Gohan's fighting style is matched only by Piccolo, and we've worked efficiently in the past."

"Okay, it's settled," Piccolo said. "Krillin and Gohan will be participating in the tournament."


	12. Chapter Twelve

(Author's note: One of my reviewers asked me if I got the idea for shekels from Israel. The answer is yes and no. I did get the idea for shekels from Israel, but the Israel I am referring to is that from biblical times. I thought it would fit for a planet called Gabria, because, after all, the planet is named after the archangel Gabriel, and the Gabrians have angel-like wings on their backs.)

The Chosen One

Chapter 12

"We came to sign up for the tournament," Krillin said to the man at the desk.

The man looked up. "You're a little late, don't you think? Hey, wait a second! You don't have any wings!"

Krillin rolled his eyes. "That's because we're from Earth."

The man laughed. "Oh, my! I'll sign you up, but two Earthlings like yourselves won't stand a chance!" He drew a card. "Ha! And to top it off, you will be fighting last year's champions! Oh, well. Too bad."

  
  


"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the first battle of the tournament!" the announcer said. "And here are last year's champions!" Two Gabrians emerged on the battlefield waving at the roaring audience. "Their first opponents are two newcomers not only to this tournament, but to this planet! Here are Gohan and Krillin, from the planet Earth!" Gohan and Krillin entered the arena to a smattering of polite applause. "And . . . begin!"

Gohan and Krillin's opponents rushed at them. Gohan looked at Krillin, who nodded. Both fighters drew back their fists, and when their opponents reached them, they punched. Both opponents flew to the other side of the arena, unconscious.

"Ladies and gentlemen . . ." the announcer stammered. "This . . . this is unbelievable! The defending champions have been knocked out with one punch each! That's impossible!"

  
  


After the first match, each match went just as easy as that match. Finally, they stepped out into the arena for the last time. Up in the stands, the other space travelers watched.

"This is pathetic!" Vegeta exclaimed. "Those two haven't even come close to actually being challenged!"

Piccolo looked over at the other side of the arena and saw Gohan and Krillin's opponents. Suddenly, his eyes widened in shock. "No way! It can't be!"

"What is it?" Tien asked, then let his gaze follow Piccolo's. "Hey! Those aren't Gabrians! What's going on here?"

"Of course they're not Gabrians!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Those are Roxians!"

  
  


Gohan and Krillin watched their opponents approach. "Oh, man!" Krillin exclaimed. "Why does this stuff always happen to me?"

"Relax, Krillin!" Gohan answered. "If we focus and we work together, we can beat them! Besides, if things do get out of hand, I can always use Testament."

"Ready . . ." the referee shouted, but before he rang the bell, both Roxians leaped forward. Ignoring Gohan, they headed straight for Krillin. Both Roxians punched Krillin in the head simultaneously, and he passed out. Regardless, the Roxians continued to assault him.

"Hey!" the announcer shouted. "That's not allowed!" Then, the bell rang. "Well, it looks like those aliens have been disqualified!"

Unfortunately, the Roxians did not cease in their beating. "Stop it!" Gohan shouted. The Roxians took no notice of him. "I said STOP IT!!"

The Roxians turned around. "Hey kid," one of them said, "you've just sentenced yourself to death!"

"The only ones dying here are you!" Gohan yelled as he powered up. However, he stopped just short of going Super Saiyan. Then, he leaped forward, punching and kicking as fast as he could. However, the Roxians dodged every punch and kick. One Roxian punched Gohan in the chest, breaking through his armor and sending him flying.

Gohan skidded to a stop at the edge of the arena. He got up and powered up even more as he became a Super Saiyan. Once again, he leaped at his enemies, but once again, he got the same result. Gohan powered up to his maximum and leaped at one of the Roxians. This time, every one of Gohan's attacks connected. Then, he leaped back and fired a Kamehameha. The Roxian caught the blast and began struggling with it. Then, with the aid of his comrade, he canceled it out. The Roxians leaped to the attack and caught up with Gohan. The teen found himself sandwiched between the two violent aliens as they began to beat him.

  
  


"What's going on?" Vegeta exclaimed. "He should be tearing them apart!"

"Damn!" Piccolo said. "Those Roxians know that their only option is two-on-one! Not even a Split-Form technique will help him here!"

"Well, let's get out there and help him!" Tien exclaimed.

"No!" Piccolo shouted. "If Gohan gets backed into a corner, his hidden power will awaken! He should have no trouble then!"

"Piccolo, we're too late for that!" Yamcha exclaimed, gesturing toward the arena. Gohan was lying on the ground on his chest, and his hair had reverted back to normal. "We have to do something!" 

Android 17 stood up and pulled out his handgun. "What the hell are you doing?" Piccolo shouted.

"Yamcha said we have to do something," Android 17 responded, "so that's what I'm doing!" He clicked the safety and fired three shots at the Roxians. All three struck the same Roxian in the chest. The Roxian stopped in surprise and looked down at his chest. Then, he grinned evilly and the bullets seemed to get sucked into the Roxian's skin.

Android 17 stood with his mouth hanging open. "What just happened?"

"What kind of projectiles were those?" Siber asked.

"Projectiles? Those are lead bullets," Android 17 responded.

"You shouldn't have done that!" Siber exclaimed. "Lead doesn't harm Roxians; it only makes them stronger!" Then, the Roxians backed up and fired a combination energy blast at Gohan.

"No!" Piccolo yelled. "We're too late!" Then, he felt someone's power level spike. Raditz leaped out of his seat and raced toward Gohan.

  
  


Gohan was left powerless but still conscious. He watched, helpless, as the energy beam rushed toward him. Then, he closed his eyes and braced himself.

WHAM!

There was no explosion and Gohan still felt alive. He opened his eyes and looked up. Standing in front of him, struggling with the beam, was Raditz.

Gohan's eyes widened. He knew that Raditz would not be able to fend off the blast. "No! Go, Raditz! You can use the Dragon Balls to wish me back!"

  
  


Raditz stood with his arms thrust out, holding the energy blast at bay. However, he was slowly losing the battle. As he was struggling, he heard Gohan say, "No! Go, Raditz! You can use the Dragon Balls to wish me back!"

"Our ship is damaged, remember?" Raditz shouted back. He put forth more energy to fight off the blast. 'Gohan . . .' he thought. 'I will not let you die! I gave your father my word, and I will not let him down!'

  
  


Goku walked out of King Kai's house, yawning and stretching. He opened his eyes and saw King Kai standing several feet away, a look of concern crossing his face. "What is it, King Kai?" he asked.

"It's . . . your brother," King Kai answered. "He's struggling with an energy blast that will kill both him and Gohan if he fails!"

Goku walked up to King Kai and put his hand on his back. "Send me through to Raditz."

  
  


"Raditz! Can you hear me?"

Raditz's eyes widened in surprise. "Kakarot?"

"Raditz, I know you can do this!" Goku said. "Just focus!"

"Kakarot, I'm trying!" Raditz exclaimed. "Not even the Kaio-Ken is giving me enough strength!" Then, his thoughts turned to his wounded nephew. 'If I fail, Gohan will die, and it will be all my fault!' he thought. "I have to do this!" Then, he felt a mixture of despair and frustration so bad that he screamed.

"YAAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

KA-BOOM!

  
  


Gohan closed his eyes, but again, he felt nothing like death. He opened his eyes and found himself lying in the same position he had been in. Slowly, he turned to where Raditz had been standing, expecting to see him gone. Instead, what he saw made him nearly pass out. His uncle's long mane of hair was no longer black; it had turned gold. "Raditz?"

Raditz turned around to look at Gohan. "You all right?" Gohan, however, was too shocked to respond, for his eyes had turned green.

  
  


"YOW!" Sparks ignited from the tips of King Kai's antennae. "Unbelievable . . ."

"What is it, King Kai?" Goku asked, a knot in his stomach. "Is Raditz . . . gone?"

"No," King Kai responded. "In fact, the truth is even more far-fetched."

  
  


"They're . . . still alive!" Piccolo exclaimed.

"How can that be?" Vegeta asked. "There was no way Raditz could have - unless . . ." The smoke cleared and he could see Raditz. "No way!" Then, his shocked expression turned to one of being impressed. "Well, well, well! Who would have thought it could happen? Raditz, you dog! You've become a Super Saiyan!"

  
  


Raditz looked at his hair, then at his fists. "This power . . ." he muttered, "this power is unbelievable!" Then, he looked up at the Roxians. "Hey, Dumb and Dumber! If you want the kid, you'll have to go through me first!" Then, he flew at the Roxians.

  
  


Gohan rolled over on his back. He barely had any strength left. Then, he heard a voice inside his head. "Gohan!"

"Is that you, King Kai?" Gohan asked.

"Listen, Gohan! Grab the sword!"

"What, you mean Testament?" Gohan asked.

"Yes! Grab the sword!"

"But . . . but it says to do so only in dire situations!" Gohan protested.

"Gohan, this is your father. Listen to King Kai and grab the sword! This is a dire situation! Look at Raditz!"

Gohan tilted his head over to the right and saw Raditz getting knocked back and forth between the Roxians. He wasn't even able to defend himself. Using what little strength remained, Gohan grabbed the hilt of Testament and pulled.

The sword was unlike any Gohan had ever seen. The blade was jet-black, with grooves running up to the tip. The instant the sword left its scabbard, Gohan felt an enormous energy flow into his limbs. He leaped up and landed on his feet. "Hey, knuckleheads! I'm not through yet!"

Both Roxians diverted their attention from Raditz and looked at Gohan. Upon seeing the sword, their eyes widened in fear. "It can't be!" one Roxian yelled. "The brat has Asok's Bane!"

Suddenly, Gohan disappeared. He reappeared right behind one Roxian and thrust Testament through the alien's back. The Roxian fell to the ground and landed face-down. Blackness seemed to spread from the wound until the alien's entire body was black. Then the body dissolved into ash.

  
  


"What the hell?" Vegeta exclaimed. Siber, however, stood up. "Gohan! The sword is their weakness! It's made of a ferric substance!"

"What does that mean?" Gohan called back.

"The sword is made of ferrous metal!" Siber shouted back.

Gohan stood for a moment. "Ferrous . . . ?" Then, he had a flashback.

  
  


Chi-chi laid a poster on Gohan's desk. "Here, Gohan, this is a periodic table of the elements. Each box has an element and its symbol. You see, 'H' is for hydrogen, and 'O' is for oxygen."

Gohan pointed at one box with the atomic symbol "Cu." "Mom, why does copper have 'Cu' as its symbol?"

"Well, you see, copper's symbol comes from its Latin name," Chi-chi answered. "The Latin word for copper is 'cuprous.' Another example is lead. 'Pb' comes from 'plumbous,' the Latin word for lead." Then, she pointed at "Fe." "'Fe' comes from ferrous, which is Latin for . . ."

  
  


"IRON!" Gohan exclaimed. "Testament is made from iron! The Roxians are weak against iron!" Then, he turned his head toward the remaining Roxian. He charged, but this Roxian was too fast; it kept dodging Gohan's attacks. Gohan landed, utterly frustrated. He held the sword up in front of his face and he suddenly saw what to do in his head. He held the sword so that the tip was aimed at the Roxian and yelled, "Tear Blast!"

The grooves on the blade of Testament glowed in the colors of the rainbow. Suddenly, a massive blast of energy surged forward from the base of the blade and engulfed the Roxian. Gohan then sheathed the sword and grabbed the Senzu Beans from Krillin's belt. He popped one into Krillin's mouth, then flew over and put one in Raditz's mouth. As both warriors rose, the stands exploded with sound. The spectators were going absolutely crazy; they had never seen such a spectacular fight. Then, Gohan felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around to find an armored Gabrian.

"Gohan, you and your friends are to come with me," the guard said. "The king wants to see you."


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The Chosen One

Chapter 13

Gohan and his friends were escorted out of the arena and into Raphael Castle. They were led up a flight of stairs and through a set of wooden oak doors.

Suddenly, Gohan became conscious of his appearance. He had dried blood on his face from where a gash had been on his forehead, and dirt was smudged all over on his face and his outfit. His body suit had tears in it in various places, and there was a giant hole in his armor. He wished that the Gabrians had at least let him bathe before taking them to the king.

The guard ahead of them stopped in front of the throne and kneeled on his right knee, his head inclined toward the carpet. Gohan and the others followed suit.

"Sire, these are the warriors that won the tournament," the guard said. "They even managed to defeat a team of Roxians and put on an incredible display of speed, power, and technique."

"You may rise," the king said. The guard and the travelers from Earth rose.

"First of all, as I can see you are aliens, welcome to Gabria. From where do you hail?"

"We come from the planet Earth, sire," Gohan answered.

"Earth?" The king repeated, surprised. "How could a group of Earthlings kill a pair of Roxians?"

"Not all of us are native Earthlings," Piccolo answered.

"So I see. You and the one in the vest are Nameks, are you not?"

"Yes, sire," Piccolo answered. "I was born on Earth, but I am a Namek."

The king shifted his gaze to Siber. "You are a member of Frieza's species, correct?"

"Yes," Siber answered, "but my people prefer not to be identified with that despicable tyrant."

"But the rest of you are Earth humans, are you not?"

"There are three humans here," Krillin said. "Tien - the one with three eyes - Yamcha - the one with long hair and wearing a red and blue gi - and myself are the only pure-blood humans."

"I am an android," Android 16 said, "comprised of purely mechanical components."

"My brother and I are also androids," Android 18 continued, "only we are mixtures of mechanical components and human DNA."

"So, there are two Nameks, a member of Frieza's species, three humans, and three androids," the king counted off. He then looked at Raditz, Vegeta, and Gohan. "If you three are not humans, then what are you?"

"This man is Raditz, a Saiyan warrior," Vegeta said. In response, the king dropped his jaw. Murmurs began to arise from the nobles around him. The king hushed them, prompting Vegeta to continue. "However, he is not the only Saiyan to escape the destruction of his home world, for I, too, am a Saiyan, but I'm no ordinary Saiyan. I am Vegeta, the prince of all Saiyans!"

This time, a dead silence fell across the room. Obviously, they had all heard of Vegeta. The king then looked at Gohan. "And you?"

"My name is Gohan, and I am half Saiyan and half human," Gohan responded. "In fact, Raditz is my uncle."

"How can that be?" the king asked. "Saiyans usually do not take kindly to aliens."

"My father had an accident as a baby," Gohan said. "He fell into a ravine and landed on his head, so he forgot he was a Saiyan."

The king cleared his throat. "What I fail to understand," he said, "is how all of you could have the power necessary to kill two Roxians!"

"We're not your average bunch of aliens," Piccolo said. "We are all incredibly strong. We have all undertaken major training. Even the weakest of us -" Yamcha shifted uncomfortably and looked at the ground - "is stronger than even Captain Ginyu. I myself have fused with Earth's former guardian, who was also a Namek."

"Our creator worked for years on us, constantly upgrading us," Android 17 stated. "His only mistake was giving us free will, so we destroyed the evil fool when we had our chance."

"When I was five, a group of Roxians enslaved me," Siber explained. "I had to undergo rigorous training to the point where I am even stronger than Frieza was."

"My father was the man who defeated Frieza on the planet Namek," Gohan said. "Also, have you ever heard of the legend of the Super Saiyan?"

"Yes," the king answered, "but I cannot see . . . are you saying that you are the legendary Super Saiyan?"

"It's not just a legend, it's true!" Vegeta answered. "Any Saiyan who becomes strong enough and finds the urgent need for the power - usually anger or frustration - can attain it!" Motioning to Gohan, he said, "And though I hate to admit it, this kid is the strongest of all of us! He has tapped into a second level of Super Saiyan!"

"However, strength is only half the story," Gohan explained. "We came across a prophecy of a Roxian conquest of the entire universe, and that only the Chosen One can stop them. Seeing as I'm the only one who can wield the sword Testament, I am probably the Chosen One. Also, this sword is made of iron, and a cut from an iron blade is fatal to a Roxian."

"Hmm . . . I see," said the king. "And what brings you to our humble planet?"

"Our spaceship was wrecked in an asteroid field and we had to crash-land here," Krillin said. "We entered the tournament so we could pay for replacement parts."

The king lowered his eyes. "Ah, yes, the prize. I'm terribly sorry, but it was a ploy. If we lured fighters to a tournament with the false pretense of being financially set for life, we could see the strongest fighters on our planet."

"Why are you looking for the strongest fighters?" Gohan asked.

"I need to ask you a favor," the king said. "My daughter, the princess Sephra, has been taken prisoner by the Roxians. They are just too powerful for my men to handle. I need you to go and rescue her from their clutches. As a reward, my technicians will fix your spaceship. However, not all of you can go. With so many people, there is a greater possibility of getting caught. I must ask that only four of you can go."

"Well, let's see," Gohan began. "I should go, because I have Testament. Who else?"

"Gohan, let me go with you," Siber interrupted. "My knowledge of the Roxians should come in handy."

"All right, that makes two," Gohan said.

"I'll go too," Android 17 stated. He then turned to the king. "Your Majesty, can you have your men create iron bullets for my handgun?"

"I guess so," the king said. "We will need one of the bullets you currently have to use for a mold." Android 17 opened his hip pocket and pulled out a case of bullets.

"I'm going," Raditz interrupted. "I don't care what anybody else says, because I gave Kakarot my honor that I would protect his son, and that fight in the tournament was too much of a close call."

Gohan looked surprised, but said, "Well, I guess it's settled. Tomorrow morning, Siber, Android 17, Raditz, and I will set out to save Princess Sephra from the Roxians."


	14. Chapter Fourteen

The Chosen One

Chapter Fourteen

Siber and Android 17 landed outside the Roxians' mountaintop base. Gohan and Raditz then landed, but stumbled a bit. Siber looked at them with concern. "Are you guys all right?" he asked, but Android 17 waved a hand dismissively.

"It's the air up here," Android 17 said. "There's less oxygen at higher altitudes."

"Why did they . . . have to put . . . a base on . . . a mountain . . . as tall as . . . Mount Everest?" Gohan gasped.

"Actually, the mountain is not that high," Android 17 responded. "This mountain is about the height of Mont Blanc."

"But still . . ." Gohan trailed off. Siber walked over to the door and inspected the retinal scan.

"There was a . . . device like . . . that on the . . . base on Quarr," Gohan said. "Vegeta . . . blasted it . . . and then he . . . hotwired it." Siber, however, put his eye up to the scanner.

"Slave 6173 retinal identification confirmed," an electronic voice said. "Access granted. Please step into the repressurization chamber." They walked in and the door shut behind them. The door in front of them did not open until air pressure was normal and Gohan and Raditz no longer had trouble breathing. The instant the door opened, Android 17 pulled out his handgun and clicked the safety. The instant they rounded the corner, two Roxians spotted them. Android 17 fired an iron bullet into each of them, killing them instantly; however, more Roxians were drawn to the source of the commotion. They rounded the corner and were instantly cut down by Siber's kienzan discs. From there on out, the halls were relatively quiet; a single Roxian occasionally appeared, but died just as quickly from Android 17's bullets. Suddenly, they found themselves faced with a dead end blocked by a computer screen.

"We took a wrong turn somewhere!" Gohan exclaimed.

"Stand back," Raditz said, and began gathering energy into his hand. Siber, however, halted him.

"This is a map station! This could be very helpful to us!" Siber walked up to the screen and activated it. After a moment, he said, "All right, I've found our princess! Now all we have to do is memorize this map."

"Already done," Android 17 stated. "Now, let's go, before we're found again!"

"What, scared of the aliens?" Raditz remarked.

"Shut up," Android 17 responded. "I just want to save all of my bullets for the head honcho here."

  
  


"Hold it right there!" Two Roxians blocked the last door, and one of them locked it.

"Get out of our way!" Android 17 exclaimed as he fired two shots, one at each Roxian. Siber ran up to the lock and tried to operate it. It was a hand scan, and Siber was denied access. Raditz began charging an energy blast, but Gohan grabbed his arm, for it might harm the princess. Instead, he blasted the lock and Siber began to hotwire it. Finally, the door slid open.

Gohan ran into the room and saw the princess with her back to him. She was wearing a white dress that had been torn in a few areas and her wings had feathers sticking out at odd angles. The only thing that seemed untouched was the beautiful blonde hair that cascaded down her neck.

"What do you want now?" the princess sobbed. "Come to jeer at me? Or are you here to torture me?"

"Actually, Princess Sephra, I'm here to rescue you," Gohan said.

The princess hiccuped. "Pardon?"

"He said, 'We're here to rescue you,'" Android 17 said. The princess stood up and turned around. She looked to be about the same height as Gohan, and had large, green eyes and a lovely figure. Gohan stared for a moment, then shook his head, reminding himself that it was impolite to stare.

Sephra looked around at her rescuers. "My goodness, you don't have any wings! You can't be Gabrians . . ."

"No, we're not," Android 17 said. "I'm an android, but with a few human components. Siber is a member of Frieza's species, Raditz is a Saiyan, and Gohan is half-human and half-Saiyan."

Sephra walked up to Gohan and smiled. "Shall we?"

"Um . . . well . . . yeah, I - I guess so," Gohan stammered, nervous from the princess's angelic smile. Android 17 covered his mouth, probably to hide a snicker.

"Hold it right there!"

Gohan, Android 17, Siber, and Raditz tensed at the sound of the voice. A Roxian stepped into the room. This Roxian was more powerful than any other that they had fought, and it was wearing a different kind of armor. "You're not going anywhere!"

"I beg to differ," Android 17 responded. He pulled out his handgun and fired a shot. This time, however, the bullet bounced harmlessly off of the Roxian's armor.

The Roxian laughed. "We caught you on surveillance," he said. "I saw you were using iron bullets, so I outfitted myself with lead armor to protect myself.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Colonel Karkess, bane of aliens!"

"You seem pretty cocky," Raditz remarked. "Allow me to demonstrate what happens when you fight a real warrior!"

"I've already read your power level," Karkess said, "and your chances of winning are in the negatives!"

Raditz merely chuckled. "You fool. I'm hiding the bulk of my power! This isn't even close to my real strength!" With that, he began to power up. Karkess's scouter began running, but Raditz issued a particularly powerful surge of strength and destroyed it. Raditz let out a yell and his power level surged upward as he became a Super Saiyan.

Karkess stood with his upper arms crossed. "What is this?"

Raditz laughed. "For your information, I am the older brother of the Saiyan who defeated Frieza on Namek!" he stated. "I, like he, have become a Super Saiyan!"

"Super Saiyan, huh?" Karkess responded. "Well, I highly doubt that it will be enough!"

Raditz leaped forward and delivered a kick that could topple a skyscraper, but Karkess dodged the attack. Raditz then jumped up to dodge a punch, then came down with an axe handle smash, but Karkess moved again. Raditz leaped at Karkess and threw a volley of punches, but Karkess managed to block every punch. Raditz then leaped back and fired an energy blast from his hands. Karkess knocked it away with a swipe and fired his own energy blast, which knocked Raditz to the ground. Then, Karkess leaped forward and began throwing punches with all four hands, viciously attacking Raditz. Finally, he threw a kick that caught Raditz in the neck and knocked him to the ground. His hair faded to black; he had been knocked out.

"That's enough!" Gohan shouted. "It's my turn!"

Karkess laughed. "A fully-grown Super Saiyan coudn't do the job! What makes you think you'll do better?"

"For your information, I happen to be even stronger than my uncle!" Gohan shouted as he began to power up. Karkess watched with amusement (for he was unable to read power levels) as Gohan became a Super Saiyan, then a Super Saiyan II, then reached his maximum power. Gohan leaped forward and caught the Roxian off guard with a punch to the solar plexus. Gohan seized the opportunity and attacked with a relentless volley of punches and kicks. He then finished it off with an energy blast. However, when the smoke cleared, Karkess stood without a scratch, but his armor was broken.

"I really hope that was not your best shot," Karkess said, "because if it was, you'd better give up now!" However, Android 17 noticed the hole in the armor and got an idea.

"Hey, ugly!" Karkess rounded to face Android 17. The android pulled out his handgun and pulled the trigger. However, the only thing the gun emitted was a hollow clicking sound.

"No way!" Android 17 exclaimed. "I'm out of ammo already?" Behind Karkess, Gohan stood with arms outstretched and palms out. Android 17 realized what Gohan was about to do and shut his eyes and, using his hands, covered Siber's and Sephra's eyes.

"Hey, Karkess!" Gohan yelled. As Karkess turned around, Gohan lifted his hands up to his face, turned the palms away, and yelled, "SOLAR FLARE!"

Light filled the room and Karkess was momentarily blinded. "My eyes, my eyes!"

Gohan grabbed the hilt of Testament and pulled the sword from its scabbard. As he did so, his hair and his eyes returned to normal. "Hey Karkess, have you ever heard of the Testament sword? Or, as your people call it, Asok's Bane? Well, here it comes!" With that, Gohan drove the blade deep into Karkess's body.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

(A/N: One of my reviewers commented that Raditz was way OOC. My reply is this: If you spent over a year in hell and several years as Princess Snake's "pet," wouldn't your personality have changed? Second, I'm trying to update as fast as I can, but the second quarter of my senior year of high school has just begun, so I'm very busy. Therefore, updates will be less frequent.)

The Chosen One

Chapter Fifteen

The doors of the throne room burst open and Gohan, Siber, Android 17, Raditz, and Sephra entered. "Sire!" Gohan began. "We have your daughter!"

"DADDY!" Sephra exclaimed as she ran into her father's arms. When they broke their embrace, King Michael smiled at Gohan and his friends. "Thank you. Our gratitude is beyond words for bringing my daughter back safely. How can I ever repay you?"

Gohan was about to say that he didn't need a reward, but Android 17 cut him off. "Well, it might be a little much, but can you make iron-based weapons for all of us?"

"My blacksmiths will begin immediately," the king answered. "May I ask why you need iron-based weapons?"

"Well, you see," Gohan began, "Roxians have two weaknesses. The first weakness is that Roxians cannot tolerate the gas krypton. It robs them of their strength."

"It's not just krypton," Siber interrupted. "All of the noble gases except radon - namely, helium, neon, argon, xenon, and krypton - can do that."

"That's one weakness," Gohan continued. "The other weakness is a much greater weakness. You see, anything made of iron that pierces a Roxian's skin will kill the Roxian immediately, regardless of where it makes contact."

"I see," said the king. "So, weapons like swords, axes, and maces that are made out of iron would be very useful for you. In that case, I will go into my private stores for iron from Aldebaran for you."

Vegeta gasped. "Aldebaran's iron? That's almost indestructible! How in the world did you get your hands on that?"

"When I was a child, there were monsters called leppas terrorizing our kingdom," the king said. "The word 'leppa' is ancient tongue for 'demon.' Their bodies consisted of scales so hard that any weapon, even weapons made of diamond, would shatter on impact. Also, they reflected as well as a mirror - in fact, the first mirrors were made from scales of deceased leppas - so that any beam weapons bounced harmlessly away. However, a space warrior armed with a sword made of Aldebaran's iron came forward and slew many leppas. The scales would shatter under the strength of the metal sword. He told my father, who was king at the time, how to contact the king of Aldebaran and told him to mention his name."

"Sire, I would like to know something else," Raditz said. "Why in the world would you treat two full-blooded Saiyans with such hospitality? I could tell that you recognized Vegeta and I thought that you would send us away, but you welcomed us with open arms. Why?"

"I have not finished my story," the king said. "This warrior from outer space had immense power, the likes of which we had never seen before or since, until the Roxians arrived. His name is revered by all Gabrians. The warrior's name was Legume."

Vegeta and Raditz were shocked. "Legume the legendary knight!" Vegeta exclaimed. "He served my grandfather, King Vegeta XIII! He could supposedly break a planet in half by merely punching the ground!"

"Wait a second," Gohan interrupted. "You're saying a Saiyan helped Gabria? I thought Saiyans had no love for aliens!"

"Legume was different," Vegeta said. "My father once said that Legume felt we should be kinder to alien species and refused to conquer planets with sentient life."

"I have been curious," the king said to Vegeta. "Whatever happened to Legume?"

Vegeta shook his head. "Nobody knows. He left our home world and never returned."

"I see," said the king. "Well, now you understand why we were so hospitable. That, and it has always been our custom. Oh, and before I forget, I have a gift for you, Gohan." One of the king's servants went into the room behind the throne room. "I couldn't help but notice that your armor has been badly damaged. You shouldn't have to wear armor in that state." The servant returned with a folded-up body suit with a pair of gauntlets and a pair of armored boots. The fabric was white, like his current gloves and boots, and the armor plates were white with gold trim. The body suit looked exactly like the one he was currently wearing, except for the fact that it was cyan-colored. Gohan took the suit, the gauntlets, and the boots into a side room. A moment later, he emerged wearing the new equipment with his old armor still on. Next, the servant brought out new armor. It was white with gold trim, like the gauntlets and the boots, and it was shaped like his old armor. The major difference was that a flowing white cape was attached to it. The servant set the armor down at Gohan's feet. Gohan removed the old armor (Sephra's eyes widened and she covered her mouth with her hands to stifle her frantic giggling, for the suit was skintight and she could see the young man's powerful muscles) and slipped his new armor over his head much like the old armor.

"How do you like it, Gohan?" the king asked.

Gohan finished hooking Testament onto his belt. He jumped into the air and did several forward flips before he landed lightly on his right toes. "It's awesome!" Gohan exclaimed.

The king beamed. "I'm glad to hear it. That is the same uniform that my top knights wear." The king then turned his gaze to Vegeta. "Gohan is not the only one who gets new armor. We have also prepared something for you, Prince Vegeta." A servant brought a piece of battle armor not unlike what Vegeta was currently wearing. A small red crest was on the left breastplate, and a red cape was attached to the armor. A chain bearing a medallion with a sunburst on it was in the servant's hand. The servant handed the armor and the medallion to Vegeta.

"This armor was fashioned after what your grandfather wore. From what I understand, your father wore it, too." Vegeta took off his armor and put on the new armor; the medallion, however, remained in his hand. Without saying a word, he walked out of the throne room.

"Sire, how long will it take to repair our ship?" Gohan asked, but Bulma interrupted.

"We have the ship in a storage silo," Bulma said. "I already checked it out. Judging by the damage, it will take ten to fourteen days to repair."

"Ten to fourteen days?" Gohan exclaimed, surprised. "What are we supposed to do about lodging?"

"The king has already taken care of that," Android 18 answered. "His Majesty has been gracious enough to give us accommodations in the palace."

"Well, can someone take me to my room?" Gohan asked. "I don't mean to be rude, but I'm exhausted. The tournament and the invasion of the Roxians' base have worn me out, and I want to sleep for a while."

"So do I," Raditz added. Siber nodded his head.

"Very well," said the king as he motioned for a servant. "Take these three to their quarters, please."

  
  


"Here are your quarters, my friend," the servant said to Gohan.

"Why is my room separate from everyone else's?" Gohan asked.

"This is a room for honored guests," the servant answered. "For reasons unknown, the princess asked for your quarters to be moved beside hers. Have a nice nap." The servant bowed and left.

Gohan opened the door and found himself in a large white room. Pale blue curtains were pulled back from a large window with a view of the ocean. A small desk and chair were in one corner and a door in the far corner led to the bathroom, which contained a one-person hot tub. A canopy bed was in the middle of the room with the headboard against the wall. Gohan set his luggage down, dressed himself in a white T-shirt and sweatpants, and climbed into bed. He fell asleep in a matter of seconds.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

The Chosen One

Chapter Sixteen

"Gohan, it's time to wake up."

Gohan groaned. "Just a second, Mom," he mumbled.

"Gohan, the king is inviting you to dinner."

Gohan sat up, yawned, and rubbed his eyes. "The king is inviting me to dinner?"

"Yes," the servant answered. "All of your friends are invited to dinner. Even the androids and the Nameks are coming."

Gohan laughed. "I hope he realizes how much food it's going to take to feed three Saiyans." He then looked down at his clothing. "Uh-oh. I don't know what to wear."

"The king would like you to wear the armor he gave you," the servant responded.

"All right," Gohan said. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

  
  


"How are you enjoying your steak, Gohan?" the king asked.

"I'm really enjoying it!" Gohan responded enthusiastically. "This is undoubtedly the best steak I've ever had!"

Piccolo took a long drink of water from his glass. "Sire, this water is excellent! I don't think I've ever tasted water this good!"

"Wow, that water must be really good, sire," Gohan said. "Such enthusiastic praise from Piccolo is extremely rare!"

"I'm glad you like it, Piccolo," the king responded. "It comes from the springs in the Cana Mountains. Some say it is the best water in the galaxy. I can bottle some for you if you like." He looked at the empty seat next to Gohan. "Excuse me, but where is Vegeta?"

Gohan buried his interest in his steak. 'Curse these Saiyan ears,' he thought. On his way down to dinner, he had passed Vegeta's room. As he passed, Gohan's Saiyan ears picked up what sounded like sobbing. He didn't want to say anything about it, so he kept it to himself.

"I'm right here." Vegeta walked around the corner and into the dining hall, wearing his new armor; however, the medallion was conspicuously absent. He took his seat next to Gohan and began to eat. Gohan looked over at Vegeta and saw that the skin around his eyes had a slightly red and puffy look to them.

"Pardon me, Vegeta," the king said, "but why are you not wearing your medallion? I gave it to you in the hopes that you would wear it."

Vegeta swallowed a bite of steak, and without lifting his eyes, said, "The medallion has the same significance as your crown. It shows that the wearer is the king of all Saiyans."

"Well, you are, aren't you?" the king asked. "Your father was king, and now that he's dead, doesn't that make you king?"

Vegeta wiped his mouth and then shook his head. "What good is it to be king if you have no kingdom? Until recently, I was the last pure-blooded Saiyan alive. The home world was destroyed, Raditz was killed eight years ago and revived by the Dragon Balls, Kakarot sacrificed himself to save the Earth, and Nappa was murdered in cold blood."

"That's funny," Gohan remarked, "I seem to recall you killing Nappa yourself, Vegeta."

"Excuse me!" Vegeta half-shouted. "Don't interrupt me while I'm talking! Anyway, the original medallion had the blessing of an ancient Saiyan high priest, and that was crushed by Frieza when he murdered my father."

The king's eyes widened. "Frieza killed your father? I thought he died when the meteorite struck the planet Vegeta."

"Wrong," Vegeta answered. "Frieza not only killed my father, he also destroyed my home planet. Raditz, Nappa, Kakarot, and I were the only Saiyans away when it happened. But Frieza didn't stop there. He tried to kill both Kakarot and Gohan, and he did kill me."

"He also killed countless Nameks when he was after the Dragon Balls," Piccolo added, "and he also killed Krillin. That's what caused Goku to become a Super Saiyan."

"Pardon me," the king interrupted, "but what are these 'Dragon Balls' you keep talking about?"

Gohan and Piccolo looked at each other. "BULMA! You've got a story to tell!"

  
  


And so Bulma and the others proceeded to tell the king and his daughter the story of the Dragon Balls and of her adventures with Goku, from searching for the Dragon Balls, to stopping Emperor Pilaf, their numerous World Tournaments, the Red Ribbon Army, killing King Piccolo, stopping Piccolo and destroying the World Tournament arena in the process, stopping Garlic Jr, stopping Raditz, fighting off Nappa and Vegeta, hunting for Dragon Balls on Namek, fighting the Ginyu Force, Frieza, Garlic Jr's return, Frieza's return, the androids, and Cell. Gohan was telling the story of his fight against Cell, but when he got to the point where Goku sacrificed himself to save the Earth, Gohan began sobbing uncontrollably, and Piccolo had to continue until the point where Cell returned, then Gohan picked up until the end.

  
  


". . . and then we gathered the Dragon Balls. Now, Dende had enabled the dragon to grant two wishes instead of one, but we only needed one. We used our first wish to bring all of Cell's victims back to life. This included Trunks and Android 17, but for some reason, it didn't include King Kai, Bubbles, or Gregory."

"What about your father?" Sephra asked.

"Well, even though Dende was the new guardian of the Earth, Shenron could only revive a person once, and he had already revived Dad after the fight with Raditz. However, Porunga, the Namekian dragon, could revive a person an unlimited number of times as long as he didn't die a natural death, so we planned to use our second wish to go to New Namek. Then, using King Kai's telepathy as means of communication, Dad contacted us. He said that long ago, Bulma had said that he had a knack for attracting evildoers, like Frieza and Cell." Gohan's eyes began swelling with tears. "He told us not to - to - to wish him back. He said the universe would be better off." With that, he squeezed his eyes shut, dropped his head, and began sobbing. Then, someone touched his right hand. Gohan opened his eyes and looked up to see Sephra with her left hand on Gohan's right hand, her eyes also full of tears.

"I'm sorry, Gohan," Sephra said. "Your father really seemed like a good man." Unable to speak, Gohan nodded. "I know how it feels. I lost my mother."

Gohan looked at Sephra and said with a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me what happened to her?" He then added, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"My mother was born with anemia," Sephra said. "She was a wonderful person, but she never had much energy. I was kidnapped once before, by a faction that plotted to overthrow my father. I was rescued by a knight named Sir Beruch. While I was away, my mother's health declined. She died just as I reentered the palace. Had she lasted two minutes longer, she would have gotten to see me one more time."

"Hey, I have an idea!" Yamcha exclaimed. "We can use the Dragon Balls to bring her back!"

"The Dragon Balls can't revive a person who died a natural death, Yamcha," Tien responded.

"Then explain how they brought back Guru!"

"Oh, yeah! I forgot about that!"

"That's all fine," Piccolo said, "but how do we know that the queen died of a broken heart?"

"We don't know," Gohan answered. "We have to hope."

"Wait," Sephra interrupted. "You mean the Dragon Balls can bring Mother back to life?"

"As long as she died of a broken heart, then she will be revived," Gohan answered.

Sephra seemed to overflow with joy. "Oh, thank you! Thank you all! You are all so wonderful!"

"You're very welcome," Krillin said. "We just need one more piece of information. How long ago did your mother die?"

"She died six years ago," Sephra answered. "I was ten."

"That means we'll need the Namekian Dragon Balls," Gohan said. "There's just one more thing I need to know."

"What's that?" Krillin asked.

"What in the world am I supposed to do with myself for two weeks?" Gohan exclaimed.

"I have an idea!" Sephra exclaimed. "Daddy, can Gohan come with me to school instead of another servant for their time here?"

"I don't see any reason why not," the king said.

"I think Sephra has a huge crush on Gohan," Tien muttered to Yamcha.

"Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out."


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The Chosen One

Chapter Seventeen

A car pulled away from the castle and drove away. Inside, Gohan was making note of the location of the castle to the school, while Sephra was thinking of methods of how to start a conversation with her rescuer.

"So, Gohan, what's your mother like?" Sephra asked.

"Well, she's nice, and an awesome cook," Gohan answered, "but she's really strict. She makes me study ten hours a day, and since I sleep nine and spend a total of one hour eating, that only gives me four hours to train or just relax. I keep telling her that ten hours is too much, but then she goes into a tirade about how she doesn't want me to end up as a 'fighting bum,' like my friends."

"What do you do when you relax?" Sephra asked.

"Usually I sleep," Gohan answered, "but I've started watching football games."

"Football? What's that?"

This question prompted Gohan to go into a full explanation of football: the rules, the ball, the field, and so on. He also told her that Yamcha, who used to play baseball, switched over to football because it involved more contact. He had been following Yamcha's team, the West City Bandits.

"You know, that sounds a lot like field brawl," Sephra remarked.

Gohan was confused. "Field brawl?"

"Yes! Your 'football' is our field brawl!" Sephra exclaimed. "Everything from the shape of the ball to the scoring system is exactly the same! Oh look, we're here!"

Gohan looked out the window. For a high school, it wasn't very big. It had two floors above ground, and from one side to the other, it was slightly less than the length of a football field. "The school isn't very big," Gohan said.

"Well, there's more than what you see here," Sephra told him. "There's a basement, and on the right there's a hall leading back far enough to allow two more classrooms on each floor."

"Have a good day, princess," the servant driving said.

"Thank you!" Sephra responded.

"Remember, you won't need to pick us up!" Gohan said. The driver then drove away.

Sephra looked at Gohan, confused. "Why doesn't he need to pick us up?"

"I have an ability called Instant Transmission," Gohan said, "that allows me to teleport anywhere - even a gap of light years - in an instant. I can teleport us home after school. Now, let's go inside before you miss the bell."

  
  


Sephra sat down in her homeroom seat and Gohan took a seat behind her. His shirt began to come untucked, so he worked on fixing it. When he looked up, he saw a few guys walk up to Sephra.

"Hey, princess. What do you say you come over to my place later?" one of them said.

"I'm busy, Gad," Sephra said, not looking up as she pulled a letter from her bag.

"Aw, come on princess, it'll be fun."

"I told you, Gad, I'm busy," Sephra responded, sounding annoyed.

"Look, Sephra, the greatest guy in the school - namely, me - is asking you out. Go out with me or I'll make you!" Gad said, frustrated.

"Hold it right there." Gohan stood up. "If the girl says 'no,' she means 'no.' Okay?"

"Who are you?" Gad asked. "Hey, you don't have any wings!"

Gohan stuck his hand out. Gad stared at it and said, "Look, I don't associate with cripples, so you can put your hand down."

"I'm not a Gabrian," Gohan responded. "My name is Gohan, and I'm from Earth."

"Gohan?" Gad repeated. "More like 'Gay-han' if you ask me. Wait, did you say you're from Earth?" Gad and his friends burst out laughing. "Look, the princess's new guard is from Earth! What, are all the knights - and for that matter, all the other beings in the universe - dead, that your pappy hired an Earthling?"

"Gad, shut up before I punch you in the face again," someone said. A young man with black hair walked up to Gad.

"Ooo, it's Big Dan!" Gad commented sarcastically. Nevertheless, he went to sit down. Dan walked up to Gohan and extended his hand.

"I'm Dan. Look, don't worry about Gad. He's the quarterback on the school field brawl team, and his ego gets the best of him.

"But I digress. You said your name was Gohan? I suppose you're the princess's new guard?"

"Only for two weeks," Gohan said. "Then, our spaceship will be fixed and I'll be on my way again."

"So you're from Earth, huh? Are you the one who put on that spectacular display at the tournament?"

"Yeah, but could you not try to bring that up?" Gohan muttered, abashed.

"He's also the one who saved me from the Roxians," Sephra whispered.

"Wow. That's pretty impressive," Dan remarked. "Tell me, how did an Earthling become so strong?"

"Well, I'm not completely human," Gohan said. "My father was a Saiyan. Also, a lot of training has done good too. I've received training from Saiyans, Nameks, the people of planet Yardrat, and two unique types of martial arts.

"By the way, how in the world did you control Gad like that?"

"If there's a bigger star on the field brawl team than Gad, it's me," Dan said nonchalantly. "I'm the halfback and the main scorer for the team. Unlike him, though, I don't let it go to my head." Just then, the bell rang, and Dan took his place in front of Sephra.

  
  


Gohan came from the lunch line with about four hoagies, three bags of chips, and two cans of soda and took a seat across from Sephra and next to Dan and another young man named Asher.

"Holy cow!" Asher exclaimed as Gohan began wolfing down food. "How can one person eat all that?"

"It's because he's half-Saiyan," Sephra said. "You should have seen him at dinner last night. He and his two other Saiyan friends are eating machines!"

"Hey, don't be a food hog. Besides, if you eat all that, you're gonna be sick." Gohan turned around to find himself facing Gad. "Although, it would be nice to see you get sick."

"Yeah, I'm sure you'd love to be covered in vomit," Gohan remarked. "After all, if I do get sick, I'm throwing up on you."

Gad grabbed Gohan by the collar. "So you wanna be a punk, huh? You won't be talking trash after I'm through with you!"

"I'd be careful if I were you, Gad," Sephra said. "He's the one who dominated the tournament, and he could take on the field brawl team in a game by himself and win, too."

"An Earthling, winning in field brawl?" Gad burst out laughing. "Fine. Meet me at the field after school. If you're not there, I'll come looking for you, and when I find you, it won't be pretty." With that, he walked away.

"Sephra!" Gohan half-shouted, whirling around. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You can do it, Gohan, I know you can!" Sephra responded.

"I can do it, but that's beside the point!" Gohan exclaimed. "I would appreciate it if my strength were kept under wraps! Remember how I told you I let a buffoon named Hercule steal the credit for killing Cell?"

"Gohan, I'm sorry!" Sephra cried. "I didn't know!"

  
  


"Hey, Gay-han! Ready to get clobbered?" Gad yelled. Gohan ignored this and went for the kickoff. The ball sailed right past the end zone.

1st and 10, ball on the 20: As soon as he snapped the ball to Gad, the center tried to bring Gohan down; however, as soon as Gad got the ball, Gohan charged forward and sacked him for a five-yard loss.

2nd and 15, ball on the 15: same thing.

3rd and 20, ball on the 10: same thing.

4th and 25, ball on the 5: Gohan charged forward and knocked the punt back to the ground.

1st and goal, ball on the 5: Gohan ran the ball in for a touchdown.

PAT attempt (Dan holding the ball for Gohan): kick was good.

"There! You see?" Sephra called from the sidelines.

Gad looked at Gohan, a look of intense fury on his face. "You know, there's one thing that's worse than an Earthling, and that's an Earthling who cheats!"

Gohan was shocked. He had never cheated in anything in his life, and he told Gad so. "The reason why I'm this strong is my father was a Saiyan! Satisfied?"

"Your father was a Saiyan?" Gad asked with mock interest. "But I thought Saiyans loathed aliens! Or was your father an emotional sucker, just like that phony Legume?"

Anger started to flare up inside Gohan. "He did follow his emotions, but they won him battle after battle! I'll have you know, my father was the Saiyan who defeated Frieza on the planet Namek!"

"Oh, and where is your father now?" Gad responded.

"If you must know, he sacrificed himself to save the planet Earth from annihilation!"

Gad laughed. "Save the Earth? He should have gotten out of there while he still had the chance instead of wasting his pathetic life on such lowly scum! Besides, what was this 'threat?' Anemia?"

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH!" Sephra screamed.

"Sephra, stay out of this!" Gohan shouted to her. "You leave Sephra and her family out of this! It was an android named Cell who had enough power to crush an entire solar system in an instant. I just barely destroyed him, but not before I got my father killed."

"Oh, you did something to cause your father to sacrifice himself!" Gad laughed. "This keeps getting better and better! Well, I'd hate to be in your position. I'd hate to be in love with my own father!"

Gohan's anger continued to build. Suddenly, a vision appeared in his head. It showed Gad holding the hand of a woman who seemed to be his mother; however, this was not Gad as a toddler but Gad at his present age.

"Well, I'd hate to be in your shoes. I'd hate to have an Oedipus complex!"

Gad looked bewildered. "Oedipus complex? What's that?"

"In Greek mythology, there was a man named Oedipus who, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother. It's a psychological term." Gohan then put the icing on the cake. "You know what that means? You're a mama's boy!" His retort was greeted by an "ooooh" from the other football players.

"You'd better watch it! You don't want to see me angry!" Gad burst out. "Besides, how did you know about that?"

'The vision I saw was true?' Gohan thought. "I knew it! You just admitted to it!"

Sephra burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter. It was obvious that this juicy tidbit of information would be all over school by the end of the day.

"Oh, and by the way," Gohan began, "I can deal with you when you're angry. You don't want to see me angry."

"Oh ho ho! Daddy's little man thinks he's a tough guy!" Gad grinned. "You know what? Frieza should have won. Frieza should have kicked your father's pansy ass all over Namek and then destroyed Earth. I'm glad your father died."

Gad had finally added the straw that broke the camel's back. Gohan, anger exploded, and in an instant, he was at his maximum power. Even Gad, who could not sense power levels, cowered in fear at the sight of Gohan's true power.

"I warned you not to make me angry," Gohan said. "Now you can see my true power, and now you pay." He began to walk toward Gad.

Gad decided to sprint to his right. However, he got only five feet when Gohan suddenly appeared in front of him. "Where are you going?" Gohan asked. "The fun's about to start." Gohan had no intention of hurting Gad; he just wanted to humiliate the nasty, arrogant punk. Gad frantically started to back away.

'You know, I would love to see something funny happen by chance,' Gohan thought to himself. That very moment, Gad's pants leg got caught on something as he tried to dash, and he tripped. At the same time, his momentum carried him right out of his pants. Frantically, Gad tried to cover himself with his shirt, but failed to do so before everyone saw his white and pink polka-dot boxers. Everyone burst out laughing except Gohan, who continued to stay intimidating.

Suddenly Gohan was reminded of a movie he had seen years ago where a big, muscular man was tied to a tree. The man was screaming in terror as a deer came up to him and started licking him. Gohan grinned, imagining something similar happening to Gad. Gad was on the ground, covering his face and yelling, "Please don't hurt me! Please!" Then, Gohan noticed movement from a bush a few feet away. A rabbit-like creature with extremely long ears and a long tail emerged and hopped over to Gad. The creature then began licking Gad's head.

Gad didn't know what was happening, but he was obviously terrified beyond his wits. "YYYAAAAAAAHHH! EEEYYYAAAAHHHH! STOP! STOP!!!" The group around them began laughing even harder. The creature hopped away, and Gad looked up. "A lapin?" he exclaimed. "You mean to tell me that was a lapin?" Gad slowly got to his feet, and everyone noticed something different about the front of his boxers. Where it had been white it was now yellow. Everyone began laughing even harder. Dan's face was beet-red as he held his chest with one hand and hit the ground with his other fist. Sephra was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down her cheeks.

Gohan, however, was not laughing. As a matter of fact, he was downright confused. 'What is going on? First, I had the vision of Gad with his mother, then everything I envisioned happening to him came true. Something is very strange here.' But as Gohan looked around at everyone laughing themselves hoarse at their humiliated quarterback, these coincidences were driven from his mind and joined everyone else in their laughter. He might not understand what happened, but he did know one thing.

This day would be long remembered at Sephra's school.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

The Chosen One

Chapter Eighteen

The rest of the week was rather uneventful, except for the fact that Gad was now the school laughingstock. News of Gad's humiliation at the hands of Sephra's new guard had spread like wildfire, and even eyewitnesses were swearing that Gohan had given Gad a wedgie. However, word of Gohan's true strength had gotten around, and this caused a new problem.

"Hey, Gohan." Gohan secretly rolled his eyes so that only Sephra, Dan, and Asher saw and turned around to face yet another lovestruck girl. By now, he had the routine down pat.

"Listen, I'm sorry, but I'm not looking for a long-term relationship. I'll only be here for a few more days, and then I'll be leaving this planet," he said as if he had rehearsed it before.

"Oh, I'm not looking for a relationship," the girl said, "I'm looking for a night of fun."

"How dare you!" Sephra blurted out, but Gohan held up a hand to silence her.

"Nope, sorry. I may be a teenager, but I'm my father's son, and my father would never succumb to that level. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to get my lunch." Gohan got up and went to the lunch line. The girl then left.

Dan looked over at Sephra and stifled a laugh. Sephra crossed her arms and asked, "What is so funny?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Asher answered. "You have a major crush on Gohan!"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sephra exclaimed. "You heard him! In less than two weeks I'll never see him again."

Dan and Asher looked at each other, grinned, and said simultaneously, "Denial."

"I don't blame you, Sephra," Sephra's best friend, Hannah, added. "He is definitely a hottie."

"Careful, Hannah," Dan joked. "She'll bite your head off if you try to woo Gohan." Sephra merely crossed her arms and pouted.

Gohan returned to the table to find Sephra upset, Dan and Asher laughing, and Hannah gazing dreamily into space. "Um, did I miss something?"

  
  


After school, Sephra emerged from the student council meeting in the conference room looking disappointed. "What's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"Let's wait until we get back, shall we?" Sephra asked as she took Gohan's left hand. "I don't want you to teleport us home -"

"-in the middle of a sentence again." Sephra looked around and was surprised to find herself at home. "Hey!" Sephra whirled around at Gohan, who had a mischievous grin on his face. "I told you I don't want you doing that!" Gohan began laughing, but then his voice was joined by another.

Android 17 got up from the chair in which he had been sitting. "You know, Sephra, you're pretty cute when you're angry," he said. "Am I right, Gohan?"

Gohan grinned a Goku-esque grin and started scratching the back of his head. "Heh heh heh. I think I'll take the Fifth on that one."

"Come on, Gohan, I'm curious," Sephra said, her hands on her hips.

"Sorry Sephra, but the Fifth Amendment states that I can refuse to incriminate myself," Gohan responded.

Pleadingly, Sephra looked to Android 17. "I hate to break it to you, but the kid's right," the android confirmed. Sephra dropped into a chair, crossed her arms, and pouted. "You'd better not let Vegeta see you like this," Android 17 said. "He'll start calling you a spoiled brat."

"Not that he should talk," Gohan added nonchalantly. "So, Sephra, what was it that had you miserable after the meeting?"

"Oh, right." Sephra sighed. "We had a dance coming up for this Saturday, but now it's been canceled."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"For some reason, we couldn't find a disc jockey," Sephra explained. "It seems that all the local DJ's are booked."

"They're not all booked," Android 17 interrupted.

Sephra looked up at Android 17. "What do you mean?"

"My schedule is wide open for Saturday," Android 17 answered.

"You, a disc jockey?" Gohan asked in disbelief.

"Here, come with me," Android 17 said.

  
  


Android 17 pulled a capsule from his suitcase and opened it. The capsule had contained a top-of-the-notch stereo system, lights, a disco ball, and a massive CD collection. Gohan's jaw dropped when he saw the CD collection. "Holy cow! There must be hundreds of CDs in there!"

"Hang on," Sephra interrupted. "I get the feeling that these are all songs from Earth. I'm willing to bet that none of these CDs are Gabrian."

"Au contraire," Android 17 responded. "Your father came through with the prize money after all. I took about 10 percent and bought several of the most popular Gabrian CDs. Besides, I bet that some of the songs from home will go over well with the kids."

"Oh, thank you!" Sephra gave Android 17 a hug. "You're a lifesaver! Oh, before I forget, the dance is semiformal, so dress nice, and I mean both of you." Sephra then grabbed Gohan's arm. "Gohan, take me back to the school. I need to tell them the good news!"

"Oh, before I go," Gohan said, looking at Android 17. "Led Zeppelin are good, but they don't make for good dance music."

"Says who?" Android 17 asked.

Gohan shook his head. "I really hope you're joking."


	19. Chapter Nineteen

The Chosen One

Chapter Nineteen

Dr. Brief was relaxing in the courtyard on a lawn chair after a hard day's work. His wife came out of the complex with a tray with lemonade and some cookies. As he sat up to accept the goods, something in the sky began to glow. The glow gave way to a machine of sorts. The machine landed in front of the scientist and his wife and the canopy opened. A young man with a bowl-cut of lavender hair, a blue Capsule Corporation jacket, black pants, and a sword strapped to his back emerged. He looked at the startled scientist, smiled, and said, "Hi, Grandpa!"

  
  


"Sitting on a park bench -

Eyeing little girls with bad intent

Snot running down his nose -

Greasy fingers smearing shabbed clothes"

Gohan walked into Android 17's room and switched off the stereo. "Jethro Tull? At a dance? You can't be serious."

"Hey, what's wrong with Jethro Tull?" Android 17 asked.

"Nothing, but it's completely inappropriate for a dance," Gohan answered. "You have a disco ball, right? Then play disco songs." Gohan reached into Android 17's CD barracks and pulled out a disc entitled "Party Fever." Gohan scanned the songs.

"YMCA, Electric Slide, I Will Survive . . . Sev, this CD is perfect! Use this one!"

"Hold the phone," Android 17 interrupted. "Either my hearing sensors are malfunctioning or you just called me 'Sev.'"

Gohan shrugged, apparently looking for something in particular. "Ah-HA!" He pulled out "Saturday Night Fever" and handed it to Android 17. "You'd be hard-pressed to find a better CD for dances than this one! About two-thirds of the songs here are perfect! And here's two more!" He pulled out the "greatest hits" CDs for Barry Manilow and K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

"How about some stuff more contemporary?" Android 17 asked.

"Sure, why not?" Gohan pulled out a couple of rap CDs and put them on the ever-growing pile. "Just don't play too many rap songs. The kids' energy will fizzle out in twenty minutes."

"So, what I'm trying to do here is to tire everyone out?" Android 17 asked.

"Well, when they begin to tire out, play a slow song," Gohan answered. "The boys and girls will pair off with each other and have a song or two to catch their breath."

Android 17 bent down and pulled out a CD. "Sev, what are you doing?" Gohan demanded. "'Frampton Comes Alive!' may be the best-selling live album of all time, but it's not appropriate dance music!"

"Be quiet for a second," Android 17 said. "I want you to listen." In a matter of moments, "Baby, I Love Your Way" began playing.

"Good! Now you're getting the hang of it!"

"Gohan, I had the hang of it." He procured a sheet of paper. "This is my playlist for the dance. I already have it set." He handed the paper to Gohan.

"Oh. I'm sorry, 17," Gohan responded. "If you knew what you were doing all along, then why on earth were you playing 'Aqualung?'"

"I felt like it," Android 17 responded. "I am allowed to play what I want just to listen, aren't I?" Android 17 removed the CD from his system and put it back in its case. He then pulled out another CD. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to listen to 'Stairway to Heaven.'"

  
  


No sooner had Gohan walked out into the hall than he heard King Kai's voice inside his head. "Gohan! Can you hear me?"

Gohan smiled. "Sure can, King Kai," he said.

"Gohan, go back to Capsule Corporation on Earth for a moment," King Kai said. "There's someone there you'll want to see. Oh, and bring Bulma and Vegeta with you, too."

  
  


Gohan, Bulma, and Vegeta materialized in the courtyard of the Capsule Corporation complex. "Hey, dad, how's it going?"

"Bulma?" Dr. Brief turned around to face his daughter. "And Gohan and Vegeta? I thought you all went off into space!"

"We did," Gohan said, "but King Kai told us there's someone here who we should see."

"Ah, yes, of course!" Dr. Brief answered. "Speak of the devil, here he comes now!" The visitor walked up to them, a huge smile on his face. Vegeta's eyes widened.

"TRUNKS!"

"Hey, how have you guys been?" Trunks asked. "Gohan, you've definitely grown!"

"Actually, we were off in outer space when King Kai told us that someone was here that we'd want to see," Gohan said.

"Outer space?" Trunks asked. "What were you guys doing out there?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Gohan explained, just as a loud rumbling noise issued from his stomach. "But can we eat first? I'm starving!"

Vegeta sighed and shook his head. "Gohan, I swear, you're becoming more like your father every day," Bulma remarked.

  
  


". . . so we're waiting for our ship to be repaired on the planet Gabria," Gohan finished.

"Wow, it seems like you really have a task ahead of you this time," Trunks said.

"So, what happened back in your time?" Bulma asked.

Trunks grinned. "I finally defeated the androids!"

"Awesome!" Gohan exclaimed.

"But what about Cell?" Bulma asked. "Did he try to steal your time machine like he did to get here?"

"Yeah, he tried," Trunks said, "but seeing as I had already destroyed the androids, he was no threat to me whatsoever."

"Well, I'm glad to see you brought your sword with you," Bulma said. "You see, the Roxians are weak against iron-based weapons. Just one cut can kill them."

"Hang on," Trunks said. "Are you saying you want me to come with you?"

"Yeah!" Gohan exclaimed, jumping up. "The more, the merrier! What do you think?"

Trunks turned his attention toward Vegeta. "What do you think, Father?"

"I don't see any reason why not," Vegeta said. "Just don't get yourself killed again."

Trunks grinned. "No problem."

"Oh, one more thing," Gohan added. "Androids 16, 17, and 18 are traveling with us. Can you put up with them?"

"I thought Cell destroyed Android16."

"We brought him back with the Namekian Dragon Balls, as per 18's request," Gohan said. "I'm sure I mentioned it."

"Oh, well, I must have missed it," Trunks responded. "The androids in this time are different than the androids in my time were, right? I should have no problem."

"All right, then," Gohan said. "Just grab my shoulder." The four of them disappeared from the room.

  
  


Gohan sat up. It was another one of those nights where it looked like he wouldn't get any sleep. Quietly, he pulled on a leather jacket and a pair of jeans and made his way out of his room and and into the courtyard.

Gohan looked at the night sky. He was surprised at how clear it was, for it was never this clear back on Earth. He was even more surprised when he saw a few constellations he recognized; however, they were in different locations. The Big Dipper was close to the horizon, with the Little Dipper close to it. There was a full moon (Gohan was glad that Vegeta had permanently removed his tail all those years ago) and it was the size of a cereal bowl. He looked into the pond at its reflection and noticed the silhouettes of fish swimming around.

"It's nice, isn't it?" said a voice behind him.

Gohan jumped and turned around to see Sephra wearing a jacket over her nightgown. "How come you're not asleep?" Sephra asked.

"I could ask you the same thing," Gohan responded. "I couldn't sleep. I seem to have insomnia from time to time, so I figured I'd take a walk instead of making futile attempts to go to sleep."

"Insomnia, huh?" Sephra gazed out across the pond. "I just finished my homework, and I figured I'd take a walk before going to sleep. After all, I can sleep in, since tomorrow is a Saturday."

"No, tomorrow is a Sunday," Gohan responded. "Saturday began five minutes ago."

"Must you be so exact?"

"Exact? And here I was, thinking I was being politically correct . . . But being politically correct is irritating at best."

"I assume your mother makes you be politically correct?" Sephra guessed.

"You got that right. One time, I came home from a summer class and told her that one kid in my class wanted to be a policeman or a fireman. She said that I meant to say police officer or firefighter. I responded, 'No, Mom, he knows what gender he wants to be, he just doesn't know what career he wants.'" He chuckled. "Man, I really got walloped with the frying pan for that."

"Your mother hits you with a frying pan when you misbehave?" Sephra gasped, appalled.

Gohan shrugged. "When you reach my level of strength, not much can hurt you. Besides, usually she yells at me if I do something out of line." Gohan reached out to a tree limb and took a caterpillar in his hand. Immediately he heard a shriek and he turned around to find Sephra several feet away. "What's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"How can you - put that disgusting thing back!" Sephra exclaimed, pointing at Gohan's hand.

Gohan reached over and put the caterpillar back in the tree. "Sorry, little guy," he said. Sephra came back over but did not sit. "What's wrong? It was only a harmless little caterpillar."

"Just - keep bugs away from me! Ugh!"

Gohan blinked. "Oh, I get it. You're afraid of insects. I didn't realize that you had a phobia."

"Doesn't everyone?" Sephra asked.

"I don't," Gohan answered. "But you're almost right. It seems like amost everyone I know has some sort of phobia, including my father." He laughed. "You know what his fear was? Shots."

"Shots?" Sephra repeated. "You mean like vaccines and stuff?"

"Yep," Gohan answered. "It's hard to believe that a guy as strong as my dad was mortified of getting an injection." He laughed. "In fact, when we were on Namek, Vegeta showed us to a rejuvenation tank on Frieza's ship. At one point, he cleared a whole bunch of stuff off of a table. Krillin and I were holding up Dad since his body had taken a beating in the fight against Ginyu. He opened an eye and saw a hypodermic needle glistening on the floor and he went ballistic! He had almost no energy, but he somehow got the energy to try to run away, screaming that he'd rather be sick than get a shot. Vegeta shouted at him that he wasn't going to give my dad a shot, and he immediately calmed down."

Sephra laughed. "It sounds as though your father was a real character."

"Yeah, he was," Gohan said. "His naivete often got him into trouble, especially when he and Piccolo went for their driver's licenses. Actually, my mom made them go for their driver's licenses."

"How did she make Piccolo go for his license?"

"Dad dragged him into it." Gohan laughed at the memory. "Mom was yelling at him for not having a license, so for comparison, he asked Piccolo if he had one. Piccolo's reaction was classic. He had been leaning against a tree, care free, but when my dad asked him that question, he shot up, stiffened, and yelled, 'Leave me outta this!'

"Dad really had no idea what he was doing. He slammed down the accelerator at first, and when his instructor told him to cut the ignition, he cut off the steering wheel!" He had to pause for a moment because he was laughing too hard. "So finally, my dad got on the correct side of the road but still didn't know how to slow down. He flew past Piccolo, who had been doing extremely well, when he made a huge mistake: he yelled, 'Eat my dust, Piccolo!' as he flew by."

Sephra took a moment to stop laughing. "What did Piccolo do after that?"

"He yelled, 'IS THAT A CHALLENGE? 'CAUSE IF IT'S A RACE YOU WANT, THEN IT'S A RACE YOU'LL GET!!' After that, it all went downhill. They failed the test and had to face the wrath of my mother.

"'FAILED THE TEST?! You mean to tell me that you two muscle-heads couldn't even pass a simple driver's test?!' Dad just nodded, and my mom does what she always does in traumatic situations: she fainted. 'Chi-chi! Wake up! Oh, was it something I said?'"

Sephra was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down to cheeks. Gohan smiled wistfully and said, "Yeah, but he was a genius wen it came to fighting. I guess it was his Saiyan nature. He was always totally calm and in control when he was on the battlefield. The only time I saw him furious on the battlefield was when he turned into a Super Saiyan immediately after Frieza killed Krillin.

"My dad never lost when all the cards were down. He took on one villain after another and pulled out the victory. Except . . ." Gohan's eyes began to water over.

"Cell was the exception. He knew I had the strength to defeat him, but he didn't realize that I disdain fighting. I tried to talk Cell out of the madness by telling him about my hidden powers, but it backfired in my face. Because of the Saiyan cells within him, Cell couldn't resist a challenge. He tried to awaken my hidden power by beating it out of me. When that didn't work, he spawned seven miniature monsters to attack my friends. I didn't want to let my anger consume me, or I could easily blow up the planet. Then, Hercule Satan threw Android 16's head to me. He told me to let go of my anger and that it was not a sin to fight for the right cause. Then, Cell stepped on his head.

"Android 16's dying words, not to mention his own death, had the effect of throwing gasoline on the fire of my anger. I exploded with rage which carried me to a new level of strength. I had Cell down for the count with just two blows. At one point, I kicked Cell in the stomach so hard that he regurgitated Android 18 and regressed to hi previous form. Then, he activated his self-destruct sequence and . . . and . . ." Gohan's words gave way to sobs. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Gohan, it's all right," Sephra said soothingly.

"No, it's not," Gohan sobbed. "It's my fault that my dad died. If I hadn't decided to make Cell suffer . . . If I had listened to my dad and finished him off quickly . . . he'd still be alive . . ."

"Gohan, don't blame it all on yourself,"Sephra said. "From what I've heard, a lot of people share blame. Krillin, for destroying the remote; Vegeta, for letting Cell absorb Android 18; and Android 17, for not heeding Android 16's warning. But it seems the source of this would be Dr. Gero. After all, he was responsible for creating Cell."

"It goes even further back," Gohan said. "When my dad destroyed the old Red Ribbon Army, he allowed Dr. Gero to escape. If he had stopped him then and there, none of this would have happened. Trunks never would have had to endure seventeen years of terror in his timeline. That was my dad's only true flaw in battle. He let his emotions cloud his judgment. Dr. Gero, Raditz, Vegeta, Frieza . . . He tried to give thm all a second chance, but each one used it to attack him, with the exception of Vegeta. Of course, Vegeta was too weak to fight back, and Krillin was threatening Vegeta with Yajirobe's sword. Still, it's just . . ."

"Just what?" Gohan did not respond; instead, his head began to droop and his body leaned on Sephra. He had fallen asleep. Sephra closed her own eyes and soon she was also asleep.

". . . We're a lot alike, you know," Bulma commented.

"How so?" Android 18 asked.

"We both have unusual love interests. We both could get virtually any guy we want."

"Well, our interests are total opposites," remarked 18.

"Yeah, tell me about it," Bulma responded. "I mean, Krillin isn't the best-looking guy, but he's still a great person. Vegeta, on the other hand, looks all right, but, as Krillin once put it, has the personality of a stump."

Android 18 put up a hand to silence Bulma. She pointed to where Gohan and Sephra were asleep on the bench.

"Oh, isn't that cute?" Bulma whispered.

"Yeah, I guess," Android 18 responded. She then shook her head. "Sheesh. Listen to me. I must be getting soft. Finding one of 16's squirrel friends in my hand, finding myself interested in Krillin, and now I think Gohan and his little girlfriend asleep on the bench is cute."

"Relax, 18," Bulma said. "You're just becoming, little by little, more ladylike. Would you rather be like your brother?"

"I guess you're right," Android 18 admitted. "The last thing this universe needs is another 17."

Bulma continued to look at the two sleeping teenagers. "You know, they're perfect for each other. Usually, Gohan is extremely tense around girls his age. He's afraid of messing up in front of them. Sephra is the first girl with whom Gohan seems fairly relaxed. He needs to learn to just be himself, and the girls will be fighting each other to date him. Speaking of which, you know who has shown an interest in Gohan?"

"Who?" Android 18 asked.

"Do you know who Hercule Satan is?" 

Android 18 nodded. "He's the idiot who stole all the credit for destroying Cell."

"Well, his daughter seems to be interested in him."

Android 18's eyes widened. "You must be kidding!"

"I'm not kidding! She really likes to boss him around and criticize him over the smallest things."

Android 18 smiled. "Sounds like another woman I know."

"Excuse me?!"

"I'm talking about the kid's mother," Android 18 quickly responded.

Bulma laughed. "Isn't that the truth. You know, she would . . ." Bulma's voice then faded away as the two women walked away.


	20. Chapter Twenty

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty

Gohan emerged from his room wearing a black suit with a white shirt and a black tie. He walked down to Android 17's room and knocked on the door. "Are you ready yet?" Gohan asked.

"Almost," came the reply. A moment later, Android 17 emerged wearing a black shirt and pants and an orange tie. "You know this is semiformal, right? You don't need the jacket."

Gohan shrugged. "I'll bring it just in case. If I don't need it, I can take it off there." He then checked his watch. "I guess we'd better go see if Sephra's ready."

Android 17 shook his head. "No way," he said. "She'll get angry if you disturb her while she's getting ready. We should wait for her downstairs. Besides, marital disputes aren't pretty."

"What are you insinuating?" Gohan accused.

"You don't have to hide it," Android 17 said. "We all know you have feelings for her. Actually, I think she's the only one who doesn't see it."

"So you're trying to play matchmaker?"

"Not me," responded the android. "Nearly everyone else is, though. Well, at least the human members of our group. Even my sister says you two make a cute couple."

Gohan's face was bright red. "Can we just go downstairs and wait?"

"Hey, what's going on here?" Android 18 rounded the corner and came upon Gohan and Android 17.

"We're just talking, that's all," Android 17 answered.

"If you say so." Android 18 scanned the two of them. "Seventeen, what is with that tie? It looks horrible with that getup."

"Hey, the principal of the school suggested I wear black," Android 17 answered.

"You haven't answered my question," Android 18 responded.

"I think the tie is supposed to substitute for his orange bandanna," Gohan said.

Android 18 looked over at Gohan. "Well, at least one of you has a sense of fashion." She smiled at the youth. "And you certainly look handsome. The girls will be swarming all over you."

Gohan looked down, blushing. "Uhh . . . thanks."

"Hey, are you guys ready?"

Android 17 turned around to face Sephra. "Yeah. We were just having a little conversation, that's all."

Gohan turned around and was rendered speechless at what he saw. Sephra was wearing a powder-blue dress that fell to her feet and exposed her shoulders and her collarbones. Her hair, which normally had slight curls, was straight and sleek as it cascaded to her shoulders. She wore a white gold tiara with an emerald in it, and when she pushed her hair back, Gohan could see earrings that contained pearls. She wore a necklace with a large ruby in it, and she wore purple-tinted gloves that extended past her elbows. Every now and then Gohan could see silver-colored high-heel shoes. Her wings even looked better than usual, and Gohan could swear they were glittering.

Gohan finally found his voice. "Wow . . . you look really great."

Sephra smiled. "Why, thank you. You look good yourself."

"Are you two lovebirds ready to go?" Android 17 asked. Sephra and Gohan glared at him.

"You keep that up, and you'll walk," Gohan said.

Gohan, Android 17, and Sephra appeared on the front steps and entered the school. Android 17 went into the gym to set up, and Sephra sat down at the front table to collect money, which left Gohan with nothing to do. He decided what to do and went into the gym.

"Seventeen, I have a problem," Gohan said.

Android 17 paused from setting up to look at him. "Yeah?"

"I don't know how to say this, but . . ." Gohan took a deep breath. "I - I don't know how to dance."

"You're kidding," was Android 17's reply.

Gohan shook his head. "My mother was so focused on having me study and nothing else that I never had any lessons."

"Well, there's not much to it, really," Android 17 said. "During fast-paced songs, just get into a group and do whatever. Just improvise."

"I guess I wasn't specific enough," Gohan responded. "I can already dance to fast songs, and even party songs, like the YMCA, the Electric Slide, and, heaven forbid, the Macarena. My problem is that I can't dance to slow songs."

"Well, I can't say I have much expertise in slow dancing," Android 17 said, "but you'd be best at doing something basic, like turning in place. Just be careful not to step on your partner's feet."

Gohan grinned. "I may be an adolescent, but I'm well past the clumsy stage. Anyway, thanks for your advice."

"Chi-chi? What's wrong?" Bulma's mother asked.

"I'm worried about Gohan," Chi-chi responded.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Gohan is fine," Mrs. Briefs said reassuringly. Dr. Briefs entered the room, stretching his arms.

"No, I'm really worried," Chi-chi said.

"Well, if you're worried about your son, you can use our satellite phone," Dr. Briefs told her.

RING! RING!

Bulma picked up the receiver on her satellite phone. "Hello?"

"Is that you, Bulma?" It was Chi-chi. "Where's Gohan? I want to speak to him."

"Gohan's not here right now," Bulma responded. "He's at a dance."

"What are you talking about?" Chi-chi demanded.

"We're stuck on the planet Gabria right now," Bulma explained. "The ship is being repaired. The king of Gabria was gracious enough to provide shelter for us in exchange for Gohan rescuing his daughter. Gohan went to the school dance with the princess."

"My son . . . is on a date?" Chi-chi asked in disbelief. "No! I won't allow it!"

"Chi-chi, no one said anything about a date!" Bulma responded. "Besides, it's only a dance!"

"I don't care!" Chi-chi shouted. "I will not let my son date an alien!" At these words, Master Roshi jerked awake, Oolong spit out the coffee he was drinking, Dr. Briefs swallowed his cigarette, Chiaotzu gasped, and Puar and Mrs. Briefs put their hands to their mouths.

"CHI-CHI!" Bulma yelled. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Hey! Don't yell!" Chi-chi yelled back.

"I can't believe you just said that!" Bulma shouted. "You, out of all people! Is your husband not an alien? Are your sons not half-alien? You have no right to forbid your son to do what you have done!" With that, she slammed down the receiver and disconnected the phone.

On the other side, Chi-chi burst into tears. "I don't want to lose my baby!" she cried. "I don't want some ungrateful woman taking him away from me!"

Gohan sat down to take a breather. Despite his endurance, dancing could tire him out. After a few minutes a slow song began. The girls all found partners, leaving him without a partner. He then saw Sephra crossing the room towards him.

"Would you like to dance?" Sephra asked.

"Um . . . well . . . I don't know how to dance," Gohan confessed.

"Oh, don't worry," Sephra assured, grabbing his arm. "It's really easy." She pulled him out to an open spot on the dance floor. She then put Gohan's hands around her waist and her hands around his neck. Swaying to the beat of the song, she then began to guide Gohan in slow circles.

"Are you having a good time, Gohan?" Sephra asked.

"Uh-huh," was all Gohan could say.

"This is a nice song," Sephra commented. "What is it called?"

"This song? It's 'How Deep is Your Love,'" Gohan answered. "It was done by a group called the Bee Gees. It's on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack, the all-time best-selling movie soundtrack. Well, it is on Earth, anyway."

Gad sat in a corner, drinking punch. He was watching Gohan and Sephra dance with a sour look on his face. Suddenly, some of his old cronies came up to him. "Hey, mama's boy," one of them commented. "What'cha lookin' at?" Gad ignored him and continued to stare. The other guys all looked in that direction.

"Oh, looks like the Earthling is dancing with the princess."

Gad shook his head. "She should be mine."

"Well, you're gonna have to do something about that. Unless you're chicken!" The others all began flapping their arms and clucking.

"Enough!" Gad threw down his punch cup. He stood up and headed towards Gohan.

The others watched him storm away. "Like a lamb being led to slaughter," one of them said.

The song ended and Gohan and Sephra broke off. "Boy, for someone who doesn't know how to dance, you are a wonderful dancer."

Gohan blushed. "Gee . . . thanks." Suddenly, a hand clamped itself on his shoulder. Gohan whipped around to find Gad.

"I've had enough of you, punk," Gad growled, "and now I'm gonna take you down."

"You never learn, do you?" Gohan responded.

Gad threw a punch at Gohan's head, but Gohan caught it. Gad faked a punch at Gohan's head and threw a punch at his stomach, but Gohan caught that punch, as well. Every punch that Gad threw, Gohan either caught or blocked.

"I'm bringing you down!" Gad shouted. "She's mine! Mine, I tell you!"

"Gad, I would never go out with you in a million years!" Sephra exclaimed.

Gad began throwing more punches and, as Gohan effortlessly blocked each, gave Gad's temple a tap with his index finger. The disgraced quarterback slumped to the ground, unconscious.

The doors to the gym flew open as two police officers walked in. They walked up to Gohan, Sephra, and the unconscious Gad.

"Officers! Thank goodness!" Sephra exclaimed. "This bully began attacking my friend here!" She pointed at Gad.

"How did he get knocked out?" one of the officers asked.

"My friend tapped him on the temple and knocked him out!"

One of the officers looked at Gohan. "Do you think we should take him with us?" he asked. Gohan went pale. He had never been in trouble with the law before.

"I don't think so," the other officer answered. "From what the princess said, he acted in self-defense. Still, it's odd that he could get knocked out by just being tapped on the temple."

"It's a pressure point," Gohan said. "My father was a martial arts expert, so he showed me all the weak points of the body."

"All right, I'll take your word for it," the first officer said. "All right, let's take this juvenile delinquent with us." The officers put handcuffs around Gad's wrists and carried him off to their squad car.

Gohan, Sephra, and Android 17 appeared in the castle living room. Krillin, Yamcha, and Android 18 were relaxing in there when they appeared.

"Hey, bro! What's shaking?" Krillin greeted Gohan.

"So, how was the dance?" Yamcha asked.

Gohan and Sephra glanced at each other. Sephra tried her hardest not to burst into a fit of giggles while Gohan responded, "Interesting."


	21. Chapter TwentyOne

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-One

"Hey guys! I've got great news!" Bulma shouted as she entered the castle. "The ship has been fixed!"

"It's about time," Vegeta grumbled.

"You mean we have to leave already?" Gohan asked with a hint of mournfulness in his voice. He had been enjoying himself so much that he had forgotten that he had a prophecy to fulfill.

"We'll be leaving tomorrow afternoon," Bulma said.

"Oh, that reminds me," the king said. "Your weapons are ready."

Piccolo examined his new axe. "I've never been a weapons enthusiast, but even I can recognize the skill of the craftsman who forged this."

Android 18 twirled her morning star around. "You know, this weapon suits me perfectly," she commented.

"Yeah, it really accents your graceful combat style!" Krillin piped in, sheathing his daggers.

"And speaking of whips . . ." Android 17 trailed off.

Trunks examined the area where his sword had been chipped. "Man, this looks good as new! Thanks a lot!"

Vegeta and Raditz were holding their swords in their hands, both scowling. "What is wrong?" the king asked. "Is there something you two do not like about your swords?"

"No," Vegeta responded. "It is a Saiyan tradition to name your sword, but I can't think of a single blasted name!"

Suddenly, Raditz thrust his sword up into the air, and he then sheathed it. Vegeta turned to him. "Well?"

"Redemption," Raditz answered.

The king turned toward Trunks. "Does your sword have a name?"

"Yeah, it does," Trunks said somewhat sheepishly. "It was my mother's idea. She said my sword should be called 'Odysseus.' You see, Odysseus was a hero in Greek mythology. The Greek poet Homer wrote the Odyssey about him. Odysseus was away at war, and due to various circumstances, he was detained from home for twenty years. When he returned, disguised as a beggar, he found his castle to be inhabited by twenty suitors, all after his wife. Odysseus killed all of them in a single battle.

"Mother thought it would be appropriate, since my world had been terrorized by the androids for twenty years, and then I showed up and destroyed them both. I then also managed to destroy Cell in my time."

"Grrr! I'm stuck!" Vegeta growled.

"I have an idea," Gohan offered.

Vegeta looked at Gohan. "Spit it out."

"Gilgamesh," Gohan suggested. "The Epic of Gilgamesh is a Mesopotamian story about a man named Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh pursued immortality, only to find that he had already achieved it, in a sense. His deeds earned him an immortal reputation."

"And how would this fit me?" Vegeta asked.

"I think you earned immortality of the reputation," Gohan explained. "Now, you are much like Gilgamesh. You once pursued immortality, and you would let nothing - not even a fellow Saiyan - stand in your way. Also, you're the last full-blooded royal Saiyan. Add to that the fact that you are the second-strongest full-blooded Saiyan in all of history, and you've got yourself one heck of a reputation."

"You win," Vegeta said. "Gilgamesh it is." He sheathed his new sword.

"Now, I would ask that you all kneel," the king said.

"Kneel?" Gohan asked, confused. "Why?"

"Please, just heed my request," the king said. "Will all of you except Prince Vegeta kneel?" They obliged, and the king walked up to each person and knighted them. When he was finished, he asked them to rise.

"Wait a second," Yamcha said. "I just thought of something. Does this mean we have to serve you now?"

"In your case, being named knights is just a title," the king said. "You are not citizens, so I cannot ask you to take an oath."

"Well, it seems the time has come to say farewell," the king said.

"Thank you for accommodating us, Your Majesty," Gohan said.

"Thank you, Gohan," the king responded, "for saving my daughter."

"Speaking of which, where is she?" Gohan asked.

"Well, Sephra has a difficult time saying her good-byes," the king answered, "but I'm sure she'll be thinking of you."

"Well, good-bye!" Bulma said as everyone got on the ship. A moment later, the engines powered up and the ship launched itself through the air.


	22. Chapter TwentyTwo

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Gohan laid on his bed, thinking. He had enjoyed himself a lot on the planet Gabria. He knew he would miss it. He looked to his left and saw his school supplies. Gohan mentally slapped himself; he hadn't done a thing academically in the two weeks he was on Gabria. He pulled Hamlet out of his bag and began reading.

"What's shaking?" Krillin asked as he walked into the room. "Hamlet, huh? I remember having to read that. I only remember one line, though: 'Frailty, thy name is woman!'"

"What did you just say?!" an angry female voice yelled from the hallway.

"No, no, no! It's a line from a play! Seriously!" Krillin shouted, panicked. Gohan began to laugh.

"You mean to tell me you don't remember the 'to be or not to be' soliloquy?"

"Well, now that you mention it . . ." Krillin trailed off.

"How about some of these quotes? 'Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.' 'There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' 'Brevity is the soul of wit.' 'Though this be madness, yet there is method in 't.' 'O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!' 'The play's the thing in wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.'"

"All right! All right!" Krillin exclaimed. "I've got it already! You don't need to recite the whole play for me!" Then, they both heard a noise from Gohan's closet.

Gohan and Krillin looked at the closet. "Did you hear that?" Gohan asked. Krillin nodded. "It sounded a bit like giggling." Gohan flung open the doors of his closet.

"Umm . . . hi," Sephra said sheepishly. She had been sitting in the corner of Gohan's closet.

"Looks like we have a stowaway problem," Krillin commented. "I thought that had been taken care of." He took Sephra by the arm. "Come with me."

***

"WHAT?" Bulma exclaimed.

"Yeah," Gohan said. "Krillin is escorting her up here right now."

"Gohan, go get the satellite phone, would you?" Bulma asked. "We need to tell the king, or we may be accused of abduction!" Before Gohan could move, however, the entire spaceship shook and abruptly began moving to the left. Bulma began pulling the stick in the opposite direction, but all she accomplished was shaking the ship.

"Bulma, what is going on?" Gohan shouted.

"Everyone, get up to the bridge now!" Bulma yelled into the microphone. "We're caught in a tractor beam!"

Gohan focused on his left. "There's some sort of space station," Bulma remarked, but he paid it no heed. What he could feel was worse.

"Bulma, there are nothing but Roxians in that space station."

"So I see you managed to get caught in a Roxian military outpost, woman," Vegeta commented as he entered the bridge. "Nice going." Then, a voice entered over the communications channel.

"Attention crew of the captured ship! Surrender now, and we will kill you painlessly! Resist, and you will suffer!"

"Gee, nice choice," Android 17 commented sarcastically.

"So, what do we do?" Tien asked.

"There's only one thing we can do," Piccolo said. "We fight, and we tear this outpost to shreds!"

"There are a lot of Roxians in there," Gohan stated. "We'll have to make like Solid Snake and sneak around."

"I'll go," Android 17 volunteered. "Just let me change my handgun." With that, he ran off.

"Let me go, too," Krillin said. "I can be fairly good at sneaking around."

"It's your height, right?" Gohan joked. "We need one more person."

Yamcha slowly raised his hand. "If you need someone to sneak around, I'm your man." At that moment, Android 17 walked into the room. He pulled out his new gun: a .44 magnum revolver.

"A .44 magnum," Android 17 said. "Most powerful gun in the world."

Krillin had his arms crossed. "Can we leave now, Clint Eastwood?"

***

(Author's Note: Kudos to Luna's Meow for correctly guessing what Sephra did. When I wrote it, I didn't think anyone could guess what she had did, but in retrospect, I see that I all but gave it away. Anyway, don't forget to review!)


	23. Chapter TwentyThree

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Three

A Roxian opened the door leading out of the docking bay. Android 17, hidden under a box, quickly registered the keypad code to the door. As the Roxian went inside, Seventeen threw off the box and gave a thumbs-up. Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha emerged from their hiding places as Seventeen typed in the keypad code. Once all four of them were inside, the door slammed shut and the lights deactivated.

"What the heck is going on?" Yamcha asked.

"I don't know," Krillin said, "but I'm glad I brought my flashlight." Krillin reached for his flashlight, but Android 17 swatted his hand away.

"Don't use any kind of light," Seventeen said. "There's some sort of security system here. It will detect any kind of visible light. There also seem to be infrared lasers."

"So, what are we going to do?" Gohan asked.

"You can't see it, but my eyes have turned red," Android 17 responded. "That means I've turned on my infrared vision. I'll go ahead and deactivate the security systems on the other side of the room, so you should wait here." A few moments later, the lights turned on and Android 17 was on the other side of the room.

"I've deactivated the security systems," he said. "It's fine to cross now." Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha did so. Android 17 then turned to the monitor on the wall behind him. "This seems to be a map of the outpost, like the one in the base on Gabria."

"We should have brought either Siber or Vegeta along," Gohan commented.

"You've forgotten that I've already learned the written language of the Roxians," Android 17 said. "I can read it perfectly." He then turned on the monitor and checked the map. One of the rooms began to flash. "That's where the tractor beam mechanism is. Once we knock that out of commission, we'll be free to go."

***

"Sephra! Sephra, where are you?" Bulma shouted.

"Hey, Mom," Trunks said as he entered the bridge. "I heard you yelling, so I came up. What's happening?"

"Sephra disappeared after we got caught in the tractor beam," Bulma said. "I'm trying to find her so we can contact King Michael to arrange her return."

"I see," Trunks answered. "If I see her, I'll let you know."

"Can't you sense her, though?" Bulma asked.

Trunks shook his head. "Her power signature isn't strong enough to pick up, like yours. No offense."

"Well, let me know if you find her," Bulma instructed.

***

"This is it," Android 17 said. He walked up to the tractor beam and deactivated it.

"You know, that was too easy," Gohan said suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" Yamcha asked.

"I mean that both the bases on Quarr and Gabria were better defended," Gohan responded. "This is the first time we had no encounter with anything but a security device. It makes it even stranger, given that this is a military outpost."

"That's because we were toying with you," someone said. A pair of Roxians stepped out of the shadows.

"I am Sergeant Sakhos, and this is Lieutenant Kriskos," the taller Roxian said. "Pleased to be your demise. Now, which of you will die first?"

"Sergeant, request permission to engage the enemy first," Kriskos stated.

"Granted."

Kriskos walked to the center of the room as Gohan, Krillin, Yamcha, and Android 17 assumed fighting stances. Kriskos scanned each fighter for a few seconds. Finally his eyes landed on Yamcha. "Your hair is unkempt," Kriskos said, "and you have made no effort to mask your scars. Scruffiness like that shall not be tolerated." With that, he launched himself at Yamcha.

Yamcha had known he was the target when Kriskos laid his eyes on him and dodged out of the way at the last second. He came up behind with a double axe handle, but Kriskos blocked just in time. Yamcha then threw a right hook at Kriskos's head, which Kriskos dodged. Kriskos threw a one-two punch at Yamcha's chest, but Yamcha disappeared and reappeared behind Kriskos. He caught the Roxian's head between his legs, planted his hands on the ground, and whipped Kriskos over him. Kriskos landed on his feet and hit Yamcha with a punch to the solar plexus. Yamcha flew back into the wall and got to his feet.

"Heh," Kriskos laughed. "You're fast, I'll give you that. But that's your only strength."

"That's because you don't know me very well," Yamcha retorted. "And you won't have the chance to do so." He put his hands together and pulled them back. "Kaaa . . . meee . . . haaa . . . meee . . . HAAA!" The beam lanced forward as Kriskos assumed a defensive stance. The beam hit and exploded; however, Kriskos still stood, without so much as a scratch.

"Like I said, you're all speed," Kriskos sneered. He launched forward and kicked Yamcha in the head, knocking him unconscious. Kriskos stood over him and charged an energy blast. Suddenly, a clicking noise broke the quiet.

"You fire that blast and I'll blow your head off," Android 17 said, holding the .44 magnum level with Kriskos's head.

Kriskos laughed. "A simple projectile won't hurt me!"

"Well then, I'll have do ask you something," Android 17 said. "Do you feel lucky . . . punk?!"

BANG!

Kriskos fell to the ground, dead. He had tried to stop the bullet with his hand, but the iron ripped right through his hand and went into his head.

Sakhos shook his head in disgust. "Iron weapons. I never thought that you, as martial artists, would ever stoop so low. No matter; you will pay!"

Android 17 pointed the gun at Sakhos. "Go ahead. Make my day." He fired a shot directly at Sakhos's head, but the Roxian ducked just in time. Android 17 fired four more bullets in rapid succession, but Sakhos bobbed and weaved to dodge them all. His gun now empty, Android 17 grabbed six more bullets from his pouch, but wasn't able to reload in time, as Sakhos charged forward and hid 17 with a knee to the stomach. Android 17 fell to the spot where Yamcha was. Gohan, however, noticed something odd; Yamcha was no longer there.

Suddenly, Yamcha leaped from the doorway, a pair of spiked knuckles shining in the light. He landed right in front of Sakhos and pulled his fist back.

"WOLF FANG FIST!!" Yamcha's signature move plowed right through Sakhos's chest. Yamcha pulled his fist back and Sakhos's corpse fell to the ground.

"Man, I haven't used that attack in years," Yamcha commented.

"Yamcha, how on earth did you recover so quickly?" Krillin asked. In response, Yamcha walked to the doorway. He came back, pulling Sephra, with a bow and a quiver, into the room by the arm.

"Sephra, what are you doing here?" Gohan demanded. "This place is too dangerous!"

"Yet you need my help," Sephra responded. "Men."

"We're not joking around!" Krillin exclaimed. He then turned to Yamcha. "You still haven't explained." At that moment, Android 17, who was down on one knee and clutching his stomach, spit up blood. Sephra walked over to Android 17 and placed a hand on his back. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate. Waves of energy seemed to flow from her to Android 17. After a moment, Android 17 stood up, perfectly fine.

"Hey! I get it!" Gohan exclaimed. "She has healing powers, just like Dende!"

***

KA-BOOOM!

The Roxian military outpost blew up after the ship left. Aboard the ship, everyone was gathered in the bridge.

"I say she goes home," Piccolo said. "I'm sure you remember that Frieza killed Dende."

"Yeah, but until that point, Dende saved our lives by healing us," Gohan argued.

"I have an idea," Raditz added. "We let her stay. Then, when she sees the ordeals we have to go through, she'll practically be begging us to take her home."

"I like that idea," Android 17 said.

"All right," Bulma said, "now we have to tell King Michael."

***

"Well . . . all right," King Michael agreed. "Just promise me this. While my daughter is with you, you will let her meet no harm."

"Of course," Gohan answered. "I'll protect her even if it means sacrificing myself, Your Majesty." The connection was then cut.

Trunks smiled. "It sounds to me like you like her." Gohan slapped himself in the forehead while Android 17 began laughing.


	24. Chapter TwentyFour

The Chosen One

Chapter 24

"ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE."

So read the engraving above Hell in Dante's Inferno. Gohan was once more doing schoolwork; this time he was reading the entire Divine Comedy. It would take him a couple of weeks to read the entire thing, but it could have been worse; he could have been made to read it in its original Italian form, and Italian was a very unfamiliar language to Gohan. Just as Virgil and the Pilgrim entered the Vestibule, a message entered his room via the loudspeaker.

"This is Bulma. I need everyone on deck, please."

Gohan sat up on his bed and sighed. It seemed it would take him longer than he had thought.

***

"What's up?" Gohan asked as he entered the bridge.

"Well, I just received some transmissions," Bulma said. "They came through five minutes ago. Unfortunately, the messages were in Galactic writing, so I couldn't decipher them. Luckily, Siber was nearby."

Gohan turned to Siber. "Well, what are they, then?" he asked.

"Distress signals," Siber answered. "Apparently, a planet is under attack."

Gohan immediately tensed up. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Not yet!" Siber exclaimed. "I'm not finished! Apparently, the transmissions also said that one of the attackers is a Saiyan."

"What?" Vegeta said, thunderstruck. "But that's impossible! The only survivors of the destruction of our home planet were Raditz, Nappa, Kakarot, and myself!"

"I'm just telling you what the report said," Siber responded. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to go now. Oh, and Gohan, I'm going with you, and that's not a request."

"Geez, what has you all fired up?" Android 17 asked.

"That planet under attack is my home planet." Siber responded. "I will not let any attackers go unpunished!"

"I'm going, too," Vegeta said. "If by some chance there is a Saiyan down there, I'll be there to knock some sense into him!"

"Let me go, too," Android 16 added. "I will not allow an entire race fall."

"All right," Gohan said. "I'd say we're ready." He then turned to Sephra. "As for you, stay on the ship. Understand?"

"Fine, fine," Sephra responded, sounding a little exasperated.

***

"Who are you?" the injured warrior demanded. He then laid eyes on Vegeta. "You?! I can't believe you would be so insolent as to show your face around here after what your kin has done!"

"No! Wait!" Gohan exclaimed. "We're here to help! We even have one of your kind here!"

"Then where is he?" the warrior demanded.

"Right here," said Siber, who had just flown ahead to scout out the scenario. "I have returned, Father."

"What?" The injured warrior looked up through his good eye and saw Siber. "Is that really you, Siber? How did you ever escape those monsters?"

"Gohan saved me from them," Siber said. "Father . . . I'm sorry about Mother."

"Don't be," Siber's father said. "It wasn't your fault. An eyewitness said she protected you with her life. She fulfilled her maternal duties.

"But I digress. We need to do something about these demons attacking us." Siber's father got up, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"Let us take care of this, sir," Gohan said.

"What?" Siber's father exclaimed, shocked. "I'm a three-star general in the army! If I can't handle it, then you most certainly cannot!"

"My father was the one who defeated Frieza," Gohan said, "and I'm many times more powerful than he was."

Siber nodded in agreement. "Gohan is the one who killed all six of the Roxians who held me captive, and he's also defeated a few Roxian officers, including a sergeant. He is infinitely more powerful than Frieza was. Vegeta and Android 16 are also capable of giving a Roxian a run for his money."

"That's fine," Siber's father said. "If the three of them want to go, that's their choice. However, I will not permit you, Siber, to go and get yourself killed."

"Father, I've gained strength, too!" Siber responded, getting angry. "There was one benefit to being abducted by Roxians, and that is their training! Right now, I'm more powerful than both Frieza and his father put together! I'm stronger than you!"

Siber's father shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you are not going." Gohan opened his mouth to protest, but Android 16 stepped forward. He held out his right arm and claws extended from the back of his hand. He showed the claws to Siber's father.

"Do you see these claws?" Android 16 asked. "These claws are made from iron straight from Aldebaran. Iron can pierce a Roxian's hide as easily as tissue paper. Vegeta has a sword, and Siber a razor boomerang, both of which are made of Aldebaran iron, and Gohan has an iron sword designed for the sole purpose of slaying Roxians. Your son is in safe hands. I can guarantee that he will not die."

Siber's father was silent for a moment. "Fine. Go. But if Siber dies, I will not rest until you are punished."

As they took off, Gohan muttered to Siber, "Revenge seems to be prevalent among your people, huh?"

***

"Man, this is easy!" one Roxian shouted. "Who knew that Frieza's people were such weaklings?"

WHAM!!

The Roxian who spoke was sent flying. He got up to his feet with a large boot mark on his face. "WHO'S THE WISE GUY?!" he bellowed. His partner pointed at where the Roxian was standing. Android 16 was there now, assuming a fighting pose. Gohan, Siber, and Vegeta then landed.

The Roxian rubbed his face, surprised. "How could someone sneak up on me? My scouter didn't pick him up!"

"That's because I am an android," Android 16 responded. "My strength comes from a different source than the strength of living creatures. Besides, my power cannot be detected by such a primitive device."

"We're here to put a stop to your evil games!" Siber shouted. "We will take revenge for what you have done to my people!!"

The Roxian laughed. "You're a feisty one. Unfortunately for you, you happened upon Sergeant Hiskos and Sergeant 'Necro' Nekhos!"

"You seem to think very highly of yourself," Vegeta remarked. "But you will soon be brought down to size!"

"By a Saiyan prince?" Hiskos responded. "Not likely!"

"I'm not even the strongest here, you idiot!" Vegeta shot back. "This kid here has a power so strong that he could reduce the both of you to dust!"

Hiskos and Necro began laughing. "A kid beating a Roxian!" Hiskos choked out. "That is too rich!" Gohan responded by powering up. Within a moment he was at full power. Vegeta powered up to Super Saiyan, and Siber's muscles expanded.

"Now try checking your scouter," Vegeta remarked. Hiskos did so and grew shocked. 

"This isn't possible! Each of the three living warriors has a power level that can't even be registered! Who knows how much that android has!"

"Well, what do we do?" Necro asked.

Hiskos pulled out a remote control device. "We call in reinforcements," he answered. He then pushed a button. Out of nowhere, someone flew in right between the Roxians and Gohan and his friends. This person was human in form, with spiked blue hair. He had a band tied around his head and a jewel hanging from his neck. On each hand were golden wristbands, and he wore nothing on his upper body. He had white pants, and some sort of device was on his forehead, below the band.

"Right now, the best strategy would be to fight fire with fire," Hiskos said, "or in this case, a Saiyan with a Saiyan."

"What?" Vegeta exclaimed, aghast. "That is a Saiyan!" He glared at the Roxians. "You scum! You fitted a Saiyan with a control device!"

Hiskos laughed. "Yes, we did. Oh, and I must warn you, he is extremely strong. Let's just say that he tips the scales in our favor."


	25. Chapter TwentyFive

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Five

"Extremely strong?" Gohan wondered aloud. "Just how 'extremely strong' is he?"

"Just watch," Hiskos responded and pressed another button. The Saiyan began to power up. Then, all of a sudden, he underwent a transformation that was all too familiar.

"No!" Siber exclaimed. "It's impossible!"

"A Super Saiyan?!" Gohan shouted. "How can that be?"

"Hold it!" Vegeta shouted. "I know who he is! Yes! There's no other possibility!

"This Saiyan you see before you is the true Legendary Super Saiyan born every three millennia! His name is Broly. My father had him sent off the planet because he didn't trust his father, Paragus. He feared he would use Broly, who had a power level of ten thousand at birth, to take over the throne. Broly was deported even before he went to the nursery!" (Author's note: I know that in DBZ movie 8, we're told that Broly was in the nursery, and that Goku's cries aggravated him, but I decided to omit that here.)

"Well, that explains how he got to a Saiyan colony," Hiskos said.

"Saiyan colony?" Vegeta responded. "What are you talking about?"

Hiskos laughed. "Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell you since you will all die. By pure accident, we stumbled across an inhabited moon orbiting one of the gas giants in the Altair solar system. The inhabitants were Saiyans who abhorred the planet purge. They called their colony 'Gardonia.'"

"Gardonia?" Vegeta asked, surprised. "Is that some kind of a joke?"

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"Gardonia is a Saiyan word," Vegeta answered. "The best synonym in English would be utopia."

Hiskos laughed. "That's right! A Saiyan utopia! Anyway, we decided to attack the colony when this Saiyan showed up!"

"I see that he has an iron weapon," Android 16 said. "He must have inflicted some heavy casualties."

Hiskos was not surprised that they knew about the Roxians' weakness. "Yes. But in return for those he killed, we were able to capture him. We fitted him with this control device, and he's been our slave ever since!"

"Why, you . . ." Gohan began, but was interrupted by something strange. He heard a voice, yet no one had spoken.

'Wait . . . Is that Prince Vegeta? He's still alive! And that boy, he must be a Saiyan, too! If I could get this thing off, I'd kill these monsters and join up with these Saiyans!'

The voice was not any of Gohan's friends, and it certainly was not one of the Roxians. It suddenly occurred to him that he had just heard Broly's thoughts.

Gohan turned to his friends. "Guys!" he shouted. "Try not to kill Broly! If we get that control device off of him, he might join us!"

"What makes you so sure?" Vegeta asked.

"I'll explain it later," Gohan answered. "Just trust me."

"Well, that's enough idle chat," Hiskos said. "Time to die!" Broly's power level began to rise and hit its peak.

"Damn!" Vegeta exclaimed. "It looks like I'll have to ascend!"

"No!" Gohan responded. "It will slow you down. I'm the only one who can take him on!"

"You're making a big mistake, little boy," Hiskos said.

"No, you're the ones making the mistake," Gohan responded. "This Saiyan you enslaved is only a Super Saiyan. I am a Super Saiyan II, which is much stronger."

"We'll just have to see," Hiskos said as he made Broly attack. Broly charged forward with a punch, but Gohan dodged it. Broly followed up with a kick, but Gohan once again dodged the attack. For several minutes, Gohan kept dodging every attack that Broly threw his way.

"What's he doing?" Hiskos wondered aloud. "He's not attacking!"

"Why isn't Gohan attacking?" Siber asked.

"I do not believe either of you knows this," Android 16 said, "but Piccolo was Gohan's first teacher. This is a technique he learned from Piccolo. If Gohan continues to dodge Broly's attacks, Broly will tire out and Gohan will have an opportunity to strike. Android 18 used this strategy against Vegeta, and Cell used it against Trunks."

The fighting began to intensify. Broly started firing energy attacks at Gohan, but Gohan kept dodging. Soon, the fighting began to take its toll on Broly's body. He began slowing down, while Gohan showed very few signs of fatigue. Gohan then disappeared from his location in the air, reappeared behind Broly, and delivered a hard chop to the back of Broly's neck. Broly fell forward, and his hair reverted back to normal. Gohan casually walked up to Broly, removed the control device, and smashed it into pieces in his hands.

"Uh . . . What just happened?" Necro asked.

"This Super Saiyan is extremely strong," Gohan said, "but his bulky muscles slow him down. Meanwhile, my form allows for improvements in both speed and endurance. It's not always the strongest fighter who wins, you know."

Hiskos began to tremble in rage. "You may have won, but you will not take that Saiyan alive!" With that, he began to charge an energy blast. In the blink of an eye, Siber grabbed his boomerang and threw it. The boomerang sliced right through Hiskos's waist and arced back toward Siber. He then fired his own energy blast which destroyed Hiskos.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," Necro said. He raised his hands and muttered an incantation. Suddenly, a wave of black energy flew from his fingertips and engulfed Gohan, Siber, Vegeta, and Android 16. As the wave traveled on, it hit a building and exploded, engulfing the area in smoke. Necro stopped his attack and waited for the dust to settle. He expected to see all of them unconscious, but was surprised when he saw that Android 16 was still standing. Android 16 dashed forward, grabbed Necro's neck, and dug his claws into Necro's chest. Necro fell to the ground as Android 16 put his hands between his upper arms and body, detached his forearms, straightened out his upper arms, and yelled, "BLASTERS FIRE!"

When the dust cleared, Android 16 rounded up his unconscious friends. He then headed back to the ship.


	26. Chapter TwentySix

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize for the delay in bringing Chapter 25. I would have written and posted it sooner, but my senior year of high school just drew to a close, so I've had a huge workload on my hands, not to mention prom and final exams.

I know this kinda goes off-topic, but the main reason I write stories is because I want to write storylines and make characters for video games. What I would like to know is this: What would you think if this story could be made into an RPG-style video game? I know, due to copyrights and everything, it probably wouldn't happen, but let's just assume I could.

I've also tried to compile a soundtrack for this story, as if it were a video game. Call it Z-trax," if you will. They would also have videos to go along with them, too. Here are some of the songs:

Main theme - "The Only" - Static-X

Gohan's theme - "One of a Kind" - Breaking Point

Android 17's theme - "Live for the Moment" - Monster Magnet

I have a few more, but listing them here would give away parts of the plot not written yet. I will also accommodate any suggestions. Now, for the story.

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Six

Gohan woke up and found himself in a room he did not recognize. It certainly was not his bedroom, his quarters on the ship, or the guest room in the Gabrian palace. "Where am I?" he wondered aloud.

"Good. You're awake." Gohan sat up and saw Android 17 sitting backwards in a chair. "You've been out of it since yesterday afternoon.

"This is the house of Siber's father. He offered us lodging, seeing as we were not yet ready to leave."

"Why aren't we ready to leave?" Gohan asked.

"Apparently some idiot thought our ship was a Roxian ship, so he blasted a hole in the hull," Android 17 said. "Bulma said it would only take a day to repair."

"Ah, I see," Gohan said. Just then, his stomach growled.

Android 17 laughed. "I know what you're going to ask. Don't worry, lunch will be ready in a few minutes."

Gohan finished up his meal. "Man, that was delicious!" he said to Siber's father.

"Yeah, it's been a while since I had one of my parents' meals," Siber said.

"Well, I'm glad you like the food," Siber's father said. "Gohan, may I speak to you for a moment?"

Gohan was puzzled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Gohan got up from his chair. Siber's father motioned for Gohan to follow him and led him into a different room.

"Gohan, I must thank you with all my heart," Siber's father began. "You freed my son from those demons, and you saved our planet from destruction. I owe you everything."

"Well, you're welcome, but it was nothing, really," Gohan responded. "I don't need any kind of reward."

"But I insist," Siber's father answered. "You see, I am one of the top commanding officers on this planet. I can get you almost anything you want."

"But I don't want anything."

"Very well, then," Siber's father responded, "how about the service of myself and my men when you need it? You may need more allies if you're planning on taking on the Roxian Empire, if it's for nothing more than covering your back."

"I guess that sounds all right," Gohan said.

"Good. Then it's settled." Siber's father assumed.

"Oh, I was meaning to ask," Gohan began. "Where are Vegeta and Broly?"

"I think they're still unconscious," Siber's father answered. "Do you want to go see them?"

Broly began to groan. Then his eyes opened.

"Hey, he's awake!" Gohan exclaimed.

Broly sat up and looked around. "Where am I?" he asked.

"Just relax," Gohan responded. "Everything's fine."

Broly turned to look at him. "You're the Saiyan I was forced to fight, aren't you?"

"Yeah, that would be me," Gohan said, somewhat abashed. "Sorry about that."

"No, you had no choice," Broly responded. "Those monsters were controlling me. I guess I should be thankful to you. What's your name, anyway?"

"I'm Gohan," Gohan responded.

"Gohan? That's not a Saiyan name," Broly responded.

"That's because I was raised on the planet Earth," Gohan explained. "My mother is an Earthling, and my father was a Saiyan who forgot he was a Saiyan."

"Hm," Broly said. "I see. So your father was sent to Earth to destroy it, but hit his head as an infant?" Gohan nodded. "Well, I understand how you survived our home world's destruction, but how did Prince Vegeta survive?"

"Frieza took him away from his father as a youth before he destroyed the planet Vegeta," Gohan answered.

"Frieza . . ." Broly looked off into space. "He was killed, wasn't he? Was your father the one who killed him?"

"Yeah," Gohan said. Of course, the truth was more complex.

"But I thought only a Super Saiyan could match his strength," Broly remarked.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Gohan said.

"Wait, are you telling me that your father was a Super Saiyan?" Broly asked.

"Any Saiyan can become a Super Saiyan, regardless of their initial power level," Gohan explained. "You just had a head start on everyone else. Vegeta, his son Trunks, and my uncle Raditz are all Super Saiyans, too."

"But you looked different from Prince Vegeta and myself."

"There are stronger forms than that of a Super Saiyan," Gohan explained. "I have reached one of those levels. We call it Super Saiyan II. Oh, I almost forgot. I need to check on Vegeta. Make yourself at home, I guess."

Gohan walked into the room where Vegeta was lying. He saw Sephra and Trunks sitting by his bed. "Vegeta isn't awake yet?" he asked.

"No," Trunks answered. "In fact, it seems only to be getting worse. A few minutes ago, he seemed like he was in agony, so I called Sephra in to heal him."

Gohan looked at Vegeta, who seemed to be still. "So I guess it worked."

"No," Sephra responded. "My healing powers had no effect." Just then, Gohan noticed Vegeta's facial muscles tense. He began to toss and turn in his bed, teeth clenched and groaning.

"Oh, man!" Trunks exclaimed. "It's started again!"

"Wow. It's like when my father had that heart virus," Gohan remarked. "But he showed no signs of fatigue before our fight, like my father did."

"Sephra!" Trunks exclaimed. "Try to heal him again!"

Sephra put her hand on Vegeta's forehead and transferred healing energy to Vegeta. Again, Vegeta's body rejected the waves.

Gohan looked at Sephra, restraining himself from staring. "Will your healing powers help combat viruses?"

"I don't know," Sephra responded. "All I know is that they didn't help my mother's anemia."

"Well, anemia is a genetic illness, so I'm not surprised," Gohan said, "and I doubt your powers, which are meant to heal, will kill a virus. We'll need to take him to a doctor."

"Well, the doctors on this planet know nothing about the Saiyan anatomy," Siber's father said as he entered the room. "But the nearest hospital space station is about an hour from here. I guess you'd better get going."

The doctor walked out to where Gohan, Bulma, Trunks, Raditz, and Broly were sitting. "What's the diagnosis, Doc?" Bulma asked.

The doctor sighed. "Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that Vegeta is not suffering from a virus. However, we cannot treat him at this hospital."

"Why not?" Trunks asked.

"Vegeta's illness is magical in nature," the doctor answered. "We are unable to treat magical illnesses."

"Well, can you tell us who can?" Gohan asked.

"There is only one place in the galaxy that can treat magical maladies," the doctor said. "In the Arcturus solar system, there is one planet suitable for sustaining life. The people of the planet Arcturus have the ability to use magic, and they can heal your friend. From here, it should take about a day."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Bulma exclaimed. "Let's go!"


	27. Chapter TwentySeven

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Seven

"We're approaching the planet Arcturus," Bulma said. "Buckle your seat - hey!"

"What's wrong, Bulma?" Gohan asked.

"The planet is moving away from us!" Bulma exclaimed. "It's almost as if we can't orbit the planet!"

"Well, punch up the engines, and get us over there!" Raditz shouted.

Bulma tapped a few buttons, and the ship raced forward. Finally, Bulma caught up to the planet, and managed to enter an orbit. She then descended toward the planet.

Gohan stepped out of the ship and stood speechless at what he saw. The planet looked like something straight out of the Renaissance. The nearby town was alive with activity in the marketplace. Gohan, by himself this time, walked slowly into town. Everywhere he looked, he saw activity. He could see a blacksmith teaching an apprentice, a man haggling over the price of some round, yellow fruit, and a pretty young lady carrying her infant. The strange part was that none of these people looked to be any older than twenty-five.

Gohan walked up to a merchant. "Um, excuse me . . ."

"Aha!" the merchant exclaimed. "A customer! Looking for an anniversary gift? I have magically-protected diamonds!"

"Um, sir, I'm only sixteen," Gohan said. "I don't have a wife."

"Don't joke around with me, my friend," the merchant responded. "For your height and weight, you would have to be at least forty-eight!"

"Forty-eight?" Gohan responded, shocked. "How can that be?" Then it dawned on him. "Sir, I'm unfamiliar with the timekeeping on this planet. You see, I'm from Earth."

"Earth?" the merchant said. "Oh, I see! You're a traveler from the planet Earth! I assume this is your first time on Arcturus?"

"Yes," Gohan said.

"Well, you see, a year on Arcturus is the same length as a year on Earth."

"How can that be?" Gohan asked.

"Do you know of relativity?" the merchant asked.

"Yeah," Gohan answered. "That's where Einstein stated that time travels slowly at a higher rate of speed."

"Tell me, did you have trouble landing on Arcturus?" the merchant asked. "You couldn't keep up?"

"Yeah," Gohan said. Then it dawned on him. "I get it! The planet moves so quickly that time and the aging process slow down for you!"

"Exactly!" the merchant exclaimed. "Now, did you want something?"

"I'm looking for an Arcturian healer," Gohan said. "One of my companions has been afflicted by a magical illness, and we need a healer for him."

"Ah!" the merchant exclaimed. "You've come to the right person! The healer of this town is a personal friend of mine.

"My name is Nial. I will take you to the healer."

"Who's there?" the healer asked as Nial and Gohan entered. "Ah, Nial. It's good to see you."

"This is Lyle," Nial said. "He is our town's healer. Nial, this is Gohan, from Earth." Gohan bowed.

"A pleasure to meet you, Gohan," Lyle said. "What brings you to Arcturus?"

"Pardon me, but I have a companion who is ill," Gohan said. "He was hit with a magic attack, and seems to be really suffering."

"Well, bring him here, and I'll see what I can do," Lyle said.

Gohan and Trunks appeared carrying Vegeta between them with Bulma and Raditz. Gohan and Trunks carried Vegeta to Lyle's table. Lyle spent a few moments examining Vegeta, muttering every now and then. Finally, he stood up.

"Hm, this situation is grave," Lyle said. "It seems that your friend has been inflicted with a rare condition. You see, this can only be caused by a certain type of evil magic.

"What is happening to your friend is an internal struggle. Your friend is being accosted by the malevolent energy inside of him. Within a matter of days, he will become a heartless, merciless, almost soulless killer. He will kill anyone - even his friends and his family."

"Wait a second!" Gohan exclaimed. "Three other people, including myself, were hit by his attack. Why didn't anything happen to us?"

In response, Lyle walked forward. He placed his hand on Gohan's head and closed his eyes. After a moment, Lyle's eyes opened and he removed his hand from Gohan's head.

"You were unaffected because you have no malevolent energy," Lyle said. "Your soul is completely filled with benevolent energy. Malevolent energy has no place to take root, because there is no void. I assume the same is true with your boomerang-wielding friend. The two of you were merely knocked unconscious. Obviously, the android wasn't affected, because he is entirely mechanical. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about your other friend."

"Is there anything that can be done?" Trunks asked anxiously.

"There is a way," Lyle said, "but it requires three people. These people must share some relationship with the victim, and they have to be able to fight."

"Well, I'm his son," Trunks said.

"I have known Vegeta ever since he was taken aboard Frieza's ship," Raditz said.

"Well, my relationship to him is not obvious," Gohan said, "but we have fought together ever since our adventures on Namek. Also, I saved his life twice, once against Recoome, and once against Cell. He saved my life once, from Frieza, and ever since my father died, he has insisted on sparring with me once a week."

"All three of those will work," Lyle said. "Now, follow me, and bring Vegeta with you."

Lyle led Gohan, Raditz, and Trunks to a door. Lyle put his hand to the door and muttered an incantation. The door then slid into the wall. When they walked in, the door shut behind them.

"Wow!" Trunks exclaimed. "This is amazing!" Gohan, meanwhile, was stunned speechless. He looked around, but saw no floor and no ceiling. Instead, it looked like they had stepped into outer space, as there were stars everywhere. The only visible reminders of the room were the door they had just walked through and a table.

Lyle motioned toward the table. "Set Vegeta down there," he instructed the Saiyans. They did as they were told.

"This is a special room," Lyle said. "Even those who are not attuned to the flow of magic can feel its presence here."

"You know, there was something nagging in the back of my mind the whole time I was here," Gohan said. "Did any of you feel it?"

"Yeah, I did," Raditz responded.

"It feels stronger here than it did before," Trunks added.

"Hmm. I wonder . . ." Lyle began. "No, never mind. Anyway, this room has a main function. You see, it allows people to enter another person's mind."

"What?" Gohan asked, confused.

"Let me explain," Lyle said. "Even though Vegeta is unconscious, he can still dream. His subconscious mind is forming a world that will help the malevolent energy within him to take over his being. This room will allow you to enter Vegeta's world and interfere with the malevolent energy."

"Holy cow!" Trunks exclaimed. "You mean we will be able to see the inside of my father's dreams?" Lyle nodded.

Lyle walked to the door and opened it. "I will leave right now. The rest is up to you. I will be praying for your safety and success. Good luck." With that, he closed the door.


	28. Chapter TwentyEight

Author's Note: Before I begin, I would like to clear up a few matters. First, Hiaburi notes that Gohan never told Broly that Goku hit his head, but Broly still knew about it. That is because Broly is familiar with the Saiyan race, being one himself. He grew up in a colony of Saiyans, some of whom had forgotten their missions, so he was quite familiar with it and merely assumed that Goku hit his head. Second, a few people have commented that my chapters have no gap when the setting changes. Believe me, I do put these in when I type, but for some reason Fanfiction.net doesn't acknowledge it. I even tried putting asterisks like these in, but it didn't work, either. What I'm now going to try is separating gaps with the chapter number in between two dashes like this -28- and pray that it works.

Also, I have a new addition to the list of "Z-Trax" (tentative title).

Vegeta's theme - "Quarter" by Fuel (On a side note, the group Fuel was formed in the Lehigh Valley, which is where I live. Needless to say, they are VERY popular around here.)

Comments on the themes are more than welcome, and I will listen to any suggestions. Right now, above all, I'm trying to think of themes for Siber and Raditz. Also, I'd like some feedback to the video game question mentioned in Chapter 26. Now, for the story.

The Chosen One

Chapter 28

The room that Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks were in disappeared and everything went black. The next thing they knew, they found themselves in front of the gate to a large castle.

"Where are we?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know," Trunks responded. "I think we're inside my father's mind."

"We are," Raditz said. He could not hide the shock from his face. "And apparently, it has taken on the form of the Saiyan Royal Palace!"

"What?!" Gohan shouted.

"You're kidding!" Trunks exclaimed.

"I can hardly believe it myself," Raditz said, "but here it is."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Gohan exclaimed. "Let's go!"

-28-

"Man, this is frustrating!" Gohan said. "How big could this place be?"

"I don't understand," Raditz remarked. "This is nothing like the real palace was!"

"This is all my father's dream, right?" Trunks said. "Well, you know how irrational dreams can be."

"Wait!" Raditz exclaimed. "How can this be? We're back in the entrance hall!"

Gohan and Trunks looked around. Sure enough, they were back where they started. Then, they heard laughter.

Two Saiyan guards emerged from another set of doors. "That's right," one of them said. "All paths here lead back to the entry. They will continue to do so until the two of us are destroyed."

"Then that's what we'll have to do!" Trunks yelled as he powered up to Super Saiyan. Quick as a flash, he dashed over and bounced the guards' heads off of each other. As they slumped down, Trunks backed up and lifted off the ground. He began flinging his hands around in front of him and stopped them with both hands in front. "Take THIS!" Trunks yelled as he fired a Burning Attack at the pair. The energy blast went off and engulfed the entire section of the room were the soldiers were. When the dust cleared, the guards were gone, but there was one odd aspect:

"Look!" Gohan exclaimed. "The building isn't damaged! There aren't even any scorch marks or cracks!"

"That's strange," Trunks commented. "I guess it's part of the dream."

"We'd better go through the door that those two guards came from," Raditz said. "It takes us through the knights' quarters, but we will eventually get to wherever Prince Vegeta is hiding."

-28-

Raditz stopped in front of a pair of steel doors. "Well, here we are," he said. "This is the knights' quarters. King Vegeta's most trusted knights quartered themselves here when not on duty. Let's go." Raditz put up a hand to open the doors, when they suddenly opened all by themselves. The three Saiyans walked in, and then the doors shut on their own, and the room got dark. Trunks turned around to test if the doors would open; however, they did not, and this got Trunks a little nervous.

"Hold it!" Gohan whispered to Raditz. "I thought I heard something." Then, they heard a faint "woosh" and a tap.

"Yeah, I just heard it now," Raditz said.

"I think there might be someone in here with us," Trunks muttered. Then, he felt something pass by his face and he ducked.

WHAM!

Gohan and Raditz spun around. "Trunks!" Gohan exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"I'm a little shaken up, but other than that, yeah," Trunks responded. "There is definitely someone in here with us."

"Guys, cover your eyes for a moment," Gohan said. He then waited a couple of seconds. "Eyes covered?" Upon receiving confirmations from both of his friends, he bought his hands, palms in, to his forehead and shouted, "SOLAR FLARE!"

Blinding light filled the room and hit the unknown assailant full on. "My eyes, my eyes!" he shouted.

Gohan's and Raditz's eyes snapped open. "That voice!" Gohan exclaimed. "It can't be!"

"It's impossible!" Raditz added.

Then, the lights in the room turned on and they could now see their attacker. Gohan and Raditz's suspicion was now confirmed.

"It's Nappa!!"


	29. Chapter TwentyNine

The Chosen One

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Nappa began to laugh. "Hey, boys, it's been a long time." Gohan and Raditz stood speechless.

Nappa walked up to Raditz. "Surprised to see me, Raditz?" Nappa remarked. "So this is what you've been up to since you escaped from HFIL."

Raditz's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "What? How can you possibly know about that? You're nothing more than a figment of Prince Vegeta's imagination!"

"Wrong," Nappa responded. "I was brought here by the Dark Vegeta."

"Dark Vegeta?" Trunks repeated.

Nappa looked at Trunks. "Hmm, never seen you before. You must be Vegeta's little brat.

"You see, the Dark Vegeta created this dream you're in. He is confronting Vegeta right now, forcing him to make a deal which will put Dark Vegeta in charge of Vegeta's real body. When that happens, you can kiss your mission good-bye!"

"Wait," Trunks said, " are you saying that the malevolent energy residing in my father's being has physically manifested itself as a complete entity in this dream?"

Nappa was confused. "What?"

"What Trunks said was that the evil energy that was still contained in Prince Vegeta's heart has separated itself from the real Prince Vegeta and taken physical shape," Raditz answered. "You always were the dumb one, Nappa."

Nappa growled. "And you were always the weak one!"

"I've learned that there is more to a person - and life itself - than brute strength," Raditz said. "Kakarot and Gohan have taught me that."

This brought Nappa's attention to Gohan. "Ah, Kakarot's kid. You've grown, I see. Maybe this time, I'll actually break a sweat!"

Raditz shook his head. "Nappa, Nappa, Nappa. Do you think we've all just sat around twiddling our thumbs up here? We've been training, you know. All three of us are to the point where just one of us could swat you like a fly." Raditz powered up. "And I think it's just about time to do that!" Raditz then charged at Nappa. Quickly, Nappa jumped up over Raditz and delivered a kick to Raditz's back. Raditz fell to the ground screaming in pain.

Gohan and Trunks were astonished. "How can that be?" Gohan wondered anxiously. "Raditz pushed his power level high enough to prove a challenge for Ginyu, but Nappa has the advantage here!"

"Heh heh." Nappa landed right in front of them. "You just don't get it. Like I said before, Dark Vegeta made this dream. You're in his world now. In here, he is God. He can boost my strength as much as he wants."

"Well, then," Raditz said behind Nappa, "we'll just have to up the ante!" Raditz powered up to Super Saiyan and assumed a fighting stance.

"Well, well," Nappa remarked. "You're up! I thought that kick would knock you out!"

"Life is full of surprises, Nappa," Raditz remarked. "That kick just hurt. There was no other damage done.

"By the way, I want to show you this. You see, I have attained the dream of every Saiyan who ever lived. I have become a Super Saiyan!"

"Super Saiyan? You? Don't make me laugh!" Nappa responded. "Everyone knows that a true Super Saiyan emerges only once every three thousand years!"

"That's only a half-truth," Raditz said. "The Saiyan Broly is the _legendary_ Super Saiyan, but any Saiyan can become a Super Saiyan if they have enough strength and the right catalyst. Unfortunately for you, you're dead, so you can never become a Super Saiyan!"

"The Dark Vegeta is all I need, Raditz!" Nappa exclaimed. "He is all I need to beat you!"

Gohan and Trunks looked at each other. "Are you ready?" Gohan asked.

"You two stay out of this!" Raditz shouted. "This is between Nappa and myself! I have a score I need to settle with him!"

Nappa and Raditz locked eyes. "You have failed in battle, led an uprising in the Other World, and you have betrayed your liege. As an elite Saiyan warrior, I condemn you to death!" Raditz then launched himself at Nappa. Raditz swung around and flew feetfirst into Nappa, but the burly Saiyan grabbed Raditz's legs and began swinging him around. Raditz let loose a pair of beams that lanced into Nappa's eyes. Nappa then let go of Raditz to pull his hands to his stinging eyes. Raditz pulled himself around, used his legs to bounce off a wall, and flew at Nappa.

Nappa saw Raditz coming at him, so he prepared to block. He put his fist up to block Raditz's fist, but Raditz seemingly flew right through his body. Then, Raditz flew at him and delivered an uppercut to the surprised Saiyan's chin. Nappa then sailed upward. Raditz dashed up and delivered a double axe handle to Nappa's shiny bald head, causing him to plummet into the ground headfirst. Raditz waited until he could see his adversary, but before the dust cleared, Nappa launched himself upward and hit Raditz square in the face. Nappa then pummeled Raditz's chest with one hand while holding his long mane of hair with the other. He then let go for his final punch, which sent Raditz backfirst into a wall. Raditz then fell down to the ground, creating a cloud of dust.

Unbeknownst to Nappa, Trunks, and Gohan, Raditz had merely been feigning injury to catch his opponent off-guard. Raditz was on one knee in the dust, contemplating his next move. Suddenly, he remembered one of Goku's tactics against Frieza. Raditz formed two spheres of energy in his hands.

"What's the matter, Raditz?" Nappa laughed. "You can't stay down there forever."

"I don't plan on it," Raditz remarked. "So, here I come!" Raditz then fired his first energy blast.

Nappa watched from above, unable to see past the veil of dust, anticipating Raditz's emergence from below. Instead, however, an energy blast flew up, catching Nappa off-guard. Next, a second blast zipped by Nappa, catching his attention. Then, as he turned around, he saw Raditz with his left fist cocked back to strike. Raditz's fist caught Nappa square in the jaw and knocked him into the other wall. Nappa propelled himself off the wall and hit Raditz with a kick to the solar plexus, knocking him into the wall he just hit. Nappa then let loose a barrage of energy blasts, which conjured up more dust. This time, however, Raditz merely floated out of the dust, unscathed.

"You know, Nappa, I'm beginning to bore of this little game of yours," Raditz said. "I'm through toying with you. I think it's time to show you my real power." With that, he began to power up. Within a few moments he was at full power.

"Feel my might and tremble, weakling!" Raditz shouted. "No one can help you now!" Raditz then charged forward too fast for Nappa to follow, and delivered a boot right to Nappa's face. Nappa flew headfirst into the wall and somehow got lucky enough to fall on one of the knights' beds. Nappa bounced back up and caught Raditz with a headbutt to the stomach, but Raditz grabbed Nappa by the wrists and flung him to the ground. Raditz then let loose with a barrage of energy blasts. However, when the dust cleared, Nappa was still standing.

"Sorry, Raditz, but the game's not over yet!" Nappa shouted. "You forget that I have the power of the Dark Vegeta behind me! Now feel my wrath!"

Nappa charged upward and caught Raditz with an uppercut to the face. He then caught Raditz in the stomach with his knee, then flipped the Super Saiyan over and caught him in his back. He then threw Raditz into a corner of the room and fired a large energy blast that engulfed Raditz in dust.

Raditz fell on all fours and coughed up a mouthful of blood. 'If I don't think of something quickly,' he thought, 'I'm finished!' Then, he fell back on his hindquarters and felt something brush his leg, so he looked down. 'My sword! I completely forgot about it!' He then grasped the hilt and pulled Redemption from its scabbard. He got up on his feet and launched himself at Nappa. There was still a cloud of dust, so Raditz caught Nappa by complete surprise. Raditz leaped up and took a swing at Nappa. Nappa tried to block, and as a result, got his left hand cut off.

"ARRRRRRGH!" Nappa screamed in agony. "MY HAND! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT, YOU INSOLENT LITTLE WORM!" Nappa then fired a blast out of his mouth. Raditz deflected the blast with a simple chop. He then put his sword away and focused all his energy into his right hand.

"Hey, Nappa!" Raditz shouted. "Remember this attack?" He then held his right hand up and drew it back as a sphere of energy formed. "Keep your eyes on the BIRDIE!" He threw the energy sphere. It went off to the right, but then turned to the left at Nappa. The ball of energy hit Nappa and engulfed him in a blast of light.

"YOU CAN'T DEFEAT ME!" Nappa's voice rang out. "I HAVE - THE POWER - OF THE - DARK - VE - GE -TA . . ."

KABOOOOM!!!

Raditz powered down, short of breath and sweating. "Come on, guys!" he shouted. "We have no time to waste! Let's go!"

-29-

Raditz, Gohan, and Trunks stopped in front of an elaborate wooden door. "It looks like we've reached the mess hall," Raditz said. "It seems that the roundabout way will be the only way to reach Prince Vegeta." Raditz shoved open the door.

Gohan and Trunks looked around. The mess hall was extremely large, and it had a large number of long tables. On the other side, there was a kitchen area. Suddenly, the door they just came through slammed shut.

Trunks walked up to Raditz. "Hey, why the delay?" he asked. He got no response. "Raditz?"

Raditz's eyes were wide with shock. "No . . ." he muttered. "It can't be . . . It just can't be . . ."

"I feel a power here," Gohan remarked. Then, too, his eyes widened. "That power . . . no . . ."

"I feel it now, too," Trunks said, astonished. "But he seems more powerful than before . . ."

-29-

What power could Gohan, Trunks, and Raditz be feeling, and why is it making them nervous? Here are three hints:

1. This is one of the most famous villains, if not _the_ most famous villain, in all of Dragon Ball Z.

2. This villain is responsible for more deaths than any other villain.

3. Gohan, Raditz, and Trunks can all recognize it.

The more people who get it right means the more incentive I have to get chapters out more quickly!


	30. Chapter Thirty

Author's Note: Not many of you know this, but I also have an account on I just recently posted a picture up there. This is the address:

http:www.wormbaby.biz/i/165528.jpg

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty

"Hello, boys," Frieza remarked. "It's been a while."

Frieza looked over at Raditz. "Well, well, what do we have here? Aren't you supposed to be dead, Raditz? I was wondering why I never saw you in the Other World."

"You were brought here, like Nappa, weren't you?" Gohan demanded.

Frieza looked at Gohan. "It looks like you've grown, kid, and I'm sure you're stronger, too. If there's one admirable quality among you filthy monkeys, it's your persistence. And to answer your question, yes, I was brought here like Nappa." He then looked over at Trunks. "And you're the one who killed me," he growled. "I had no idea you were Vegeta's son - in fact, I had no idea you were from the future. That would explain why you were a Super Saiyan."

Raditz began to power up. "It's time to do to you what I wanted to do a long time ago!" he yelled.

Using an unseen force, Frieza pushed Raditz into the far wall. "You stay out of this!" he shouted. "This is between Vegeta's spawn and myself!" He then looked at Gohan. "Unless you want to join your friend there, you had best stay out of this, too." He then looked at Trunks. "Oh, and before our fight, I want to take care of one thing." Using his energy, Frieza pulled Odysseus from Trunks's scabbard and cast it aside. "No weapons. I want you to realize that your sword was the only reason you beat me."

"Oh, yeah?" Trunks retorted. "Well, I'm sure your father would tell you a different story." He then began to power up. He stopped a couple of seconds after going Super Saiyan.

Frieza was unimpressed. "Is that all?"

"What do you mean, 'is that all?'" Trunks responded. "This is the same power level I was at when I killed you!"

"Fool. Did Nappa not tell you about Dark Vegeta's powers?" Now Frieza began to power up. "As long as Dark Vegeta wills it, I am invincible!"

"'As long as Dark Vegeta wills it?'" Raditz repeated as he walked up next to Gohan. "Since when did you become the religious type, Frieza?"

"There's one thing I've been wondering," Gohan said. "Why are you so intent on serving Dark Vegeta? Either way, if Vegeta wakes up, you'll be back to square one."

"That's where you're wrong," Frieza said. "True, when Dark Vegeta takes absolute control of Vegeta's body, this dream world will vanish and I will be back in the Other World, but not for long. Dark Vegeta will resurrect us with the Dragon Balls and allow me to reestablish my empire provided I leave him alone."

"You're forgetting about one thing," Gohan said. "How do you expect to stand up to the Roxians if not even a Super Saiyan can fight them off?"

"You've forgotten, haven't you?" Frieza chuckled. "All I need to do is make an iron-based weapon and the Roxians will be no match for me!"

Gohan was about to protest when Trunks cut him off. "We'd love to stay and chat, but we have a mission here, and no one - especially not you - will get in our way!" Then, he threw himself at Frieza. Frieza, however, leaped up, grabbed Trunks's arm, and threw him into the wall. Trunks got up, surprised.

"Hmm. It seems I'll have to up the ante," Trunks said as he began to gather more power.

"Good," Frieza remarked. "It will make the fight more interesting." Frieza then launched himself at Trunks. Trunks jumped up to dodge it and caught Frieza in his back with a kick. Frieza fell down and skidded to a stop on the ground. Trunks then dived at Frieza headfirst and landed a punch on the back of Frieza's head. He grabbed Frieza by the tail and flung him into a wall. Trunks then let loose a barrage of energy blasts, stirring up a large cloud of dust. Much to Trunks's surprise, however, Frieza floated out of the dust cloud, unscathed.

"Face it, boy," Frieza sneered, "it's hopeless!"

"Maybe if I had come from somewhere else, I would give up," Trunks responded. "But where I came from, giving up was not an option!" He then began powering up again. In a matter of moments he was at his maximum. He then threw himself at Frieza again and landed a punch to Frieza's face. Frieza flew into the opposite wall. Frieza retaliated by pushing off the wall and flying at Trunks. Trunks, however, blocked Frieza's attack, and, while Frieza was vulnerable, landed a blow to Frieza's chest. He then grabbed Frieza by the head and swung him around, letting him go so that he flew headfirst into the ceiling. Trunks then grabbed Frieza's tail and threw him into the floor.

Frieza got to one knee, his forehead bleeding and teeth clenched. He then stood up. "Very impressive, Saiyan," he said, "but I know your weakness. Your power is tremendous, I concede that. However, your speed has not changed since before. So, you see, all I need to do is ask Dark Vegeta to grant me speed!" Frieza then closed his eyes. A moment later, he opened them. "Prepare yourself, Saiyan!" Frieza shouted as he charged at Trunks.

Trunks merely smiled. _Idiot. He doesn't realize that his speed remained the same._ He jumped above Frieza and brought his fists down on Frieza's back. As he did so, he heard something crack. Frieza then fell to the ground, unable to move.

"What?" Frieza shouted. "Why did nothing happen? Dark Vegeta?"

Trunks said nothing. Instead, he flung his hands around, bringing them out straight from his body. "It's over, Frieza!" Trunks yelled. "DIE!!"

The Burning Attack blasted forward from Trunks's hands and hit Frieza directly, exploding on impact.

From the explosion, they could hear Frieza scream, "WHYYY?"

-30-

Raditz came to a stop in front of a pair of large, gilded doors. "This is it," he said, "the throne room."

"I can sense Vegeta in there," Gohan said. All the same, he felt something nagging him in the back of his head.

"We made it," Trunks breathed. "Somehow, we made it." Trunks stepped forward and forced the doors open. He walked in, then suddenly stopped.

Raditz, who was right behind Trunks, nearly ran into him. "Why did you stop?" he asked in an annoying tone, but Trunks seemed to have been rendered speechless. Raditz then followed Trunks's gaze. "What the _hell_?!"

Gohan then walked in and he froze. "I don't . . . I don't believe it," he stammered. "No . . . this can't be happening . . ."

They had sensed Vegeta's power level, but one thing was for sure. The being standing in front of them was not Vegeta.

-30-

I don't think you need any clues for this one, since this is pretty obvious. While I'm on the topic, congratulations to all the people who guessed correctly. I cranked out this chapter as fast as I could, just like I said. The same rule applies for this: the more correct answers I get, the sooner the next chapter comes out!


	31. Chapter ThirtyOne

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-One

"Hello," Cell said. "It's been far too long. I see you are doing well, Gohan." He then looked at Trunks. "Trunks! Back so soon? I see you must have been brought back with the Dragon Balls." Cell turned his attention toward Raditz. "Well, well. At last, we meet face to face, Raditz."

Raditz was surprised. "How do you know my name?" he demanded. "Tell me who you are!"

"Very well," Cell said, chuckling to himself. "I am Cell. I am the ultimate achievement of Dr. Gero, whom your brother let go after single-handedly destroying my master's Red Ribbon Army. I am compiled of cells of all the greatest fighters to set foot on Earth. I contain cells from Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta, Krillin, Tien, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, Nappa, and even Frieza and his father. Oh, yes, and from you, Raditz. I have the fighting techniques of every one of those fighters, and can use their attacks."

" So that explains why I could sense Prince Vegeta," Raditz said. "So, where is the real Prince Vegeta?"

"Oh, he's on the topmost floor of the castle keep, being confronted by Dark Vegeta," Cell said. "However, if you think you three will make it to the top, you're sadly mistaken. You will meet your end here and now!"

Raditz and Trunks began to power up, but Gohan stepped forward, holding them back. "Stay back, you two," he said. "I'll take him on all by myself."

"Gohan?" Trunks could hear a determination in Gohan's voice. Then, Trunks nodded. "I understand. Give him your best. Not just for us, but for your father, too."

Cell began to laugh. "Boy, you barely stood a chance against me last time! You only defeated me because you got lucky!"

"My power level was cut in half, and I had use of only one arm," Gohan said in a menacing tone. "Now, the playing field is level. You're going down, once and for all."

Cell laughed. "Well, that's curious. Are you feeling all right, Gohan?"

"Good enough to kill you and truly avenge my dad," Gohan responded. "And once you're gone, once and for all, I will never have felt better." Gohan then began powering up. He reached Super Saiyan and continued to power up. He didn't stop after reaching Super Saiyan Two. He powered up straight to his maximum.

"Going all out, Gohan?" Cell remarked. "Why would you go and do a thing like that?"

"Because I don't feel like playing around anymore!" Gohan shouted. "Last time, I played around with you like a cat plays with a mouse, and made a bad mistake! I will not make the same mistake twice!"

"Very well," Cell said. "Oh, but before we begin, I'd like to take care of something . . ." He then put two fingers up to his forehead. Suddenly, Cell was right next to Gohan, and he yanked Gohan's belt, with Testament attached to it, from Gohan's waist. Cell then put the belt on himself. "I'd like to take my sword."

Gohan was stunned speechless. "No!" Trunks exclaimed.

"Your sword? What are you talking about?" Raditz demanded. "That sword belongs to Gohan!"

"Exactly," Cell answered. "Since some of Gohan's cells were used in my creation process, I therefore should be able to wield Gohan's own sword! Imagine, Gohan being killed by his own ancestor! How rich!"

Suddenly, Gohan's power erupted. "You will regret that, Cell!!" he yelled. Obviously, he had snapped out of his reverie.

"I very much doubt that, little man," Cell responded. "You don't know what you're up against. Remember, this is Dark Vegeta's world."

"Well, that's what Nappa and Frieza said, and we defeated them!" Gohan shot back. "Now, it's your turn!" Gohan then leaped at Cell.

Cell blocked Gohan's initial attack and threw a punch which caught Gohan in the solar plexus. Gohan fell to the ground and Cell delivered an axe kick to Gohan's back. The force of the blow caused Gohan's arms and legs to give out from under him. Then, Gohan used his energy to push Cell away from him and he got up. Suddenly, he vanished and reappeared behind Cell and hit him with a roundhouse kick to the head which knocked Cell away.

Cell got up. "Instant Transmission, huh? Well, if that's how you want to fight . . ." Cell then vanished and reappeared behind Gohan. He then grabbed Gohan in a choke hold. "Then that's what we'll do!!"

Cell's arms tightened around Gohan's throat, and he suddenly found himself unable to breathe. Gohan began hitting Cell in any way possible, but the monster did not even flinch. He could feel himself beginning to fade, even to the point where he began seeing things . . .

Gohan saw before him the room where he, Trunks, and Raditz entered Vegeta's dreams. The three of them were not moving. Then, Vegeta woke up, but Gohan could instantly tell that something was different. Vegeta's clothing had turned completely black. Vegeta calmly walked out of the room, where he met Lyle. Without so much as a word, Vegeta blasted a hole through Lyle's chest. He then left the building and flew away. Suddenly, the planet Arcturus blew up. Then he saw other planets blow up. Gabria. Quarr. Yardrat. Namek.

Then Vegeta came to where Gohan was afraid he would go: Earth. He entered the atmosphere and Gohan found the cities and the planet itself engulfed in flames and destruction. He could hear the screams of his mother and his brother. He found his brother's corpse lying on the solid earth. He could then see the people he loved. Chi-chi. Goten. Ox-King. Bulma. Dr. Briefs. Mrs. Briefs. Little Trunks. Future Trunks. Master Roshi. Tortoise. Krillin. Android 18. Oolong. Yamcha. Puar. Tien. Chiaotzu. Piccolo. Android 17. Siber. Dende. Mr. Popo. Yajirobe. Korin. Nail. Android 16. Raditz. Sephra . . .

Then the Earth exploded.

Gohan's power level exploded. "NOOOO!!" he screamed. Cell was blown back into a wall. Gohan turned around and faced Cell.

"DIE!!!"

Gohan attacked with a barrage of energy blasts which hit Cell dead on, then he pulled back and charged his next attack. "Masenko . . . HA!!" The ball of energy flew forward and hit its target. When the dust cleared, Cell remained, but only with half a leg and one arm.

Raditz began to laugh. "Hey, Cell! Not feeling quite complete, are we?"

"Shut up!" Cell said, a little unnerved. "You don't know what you're talking about!" He then began to focus his energy. In a few seconds, he regenerated his lost body parts.

Cell touched down on the floor. "You should not have done that, boy," Cell said. "Now I will unleash my total fury upon you! Tremble in fear as I draw this sword!"


	32. Chapter ThirtyTwo

The Chosen One

Chapter 32

Raditz and Trunks were unable to move. Gohan, however, remained calm. He either had a plan up his sleeve, or he knew something that the others did not.

"Now, Gohan, you will meet your end!" Cell shouted. "You will die by your ancestor's blade!" He then grabbed the hilt and pulled.

"ARRRGGGHH!" Cell yelled. He withdrew his hand and found that it was surrounded by electricity. Suddenly, his hand blew up.

"What in the world happened?" Trunks asked, confused.

"I don't know," Raditz responded, "but it looks like Cell can't use Gohan's sword."

Gohan walked up, yanked the belt from Cell's waist, and fixed it on his own. "I thought so," was all he said.

"What?" Cell shouted. "Why couldn't I grasp the blade?"

"I think I know," Gohan said. "It was one of two reasons.

"The first possible explanation is that while you were made with some of my cells, it also happens that you were made with the cells of other fighters. That fact may have prevented you from wielding Testament. The second explanation is very similar.

"You see, every strand of DNA in our bodies is made up of forty-six different chromosomes. These chromosomes determine many things: our hair color, eye color, skin color, height, ideal weight, intelligence, and some of our personality traits, among other things. When you were made, Cell, Dr. Gero probably extracted DNA from the cells he had gathered and mixed and matched chromosomes until he found what he considered the ideal formation. Here, I see one of two possibilities. First, I have a specific gene that allows me to wield Testament that Dr. Gero omitted, or Testament responds only to my specific genetic code."

Gohan pulled Testament from its hilt and he powered down. "None of that matters now, though. All that matters is you cannot use Testament, while I can."

Gohan pointed Testament as Cell. "Tear Blast!" A beam of energy came from the blade and shot at Cell, but Cell jumped up to avoid it. Gohan tried another Tear Blast, but Cell evaded that one also. Cell managed to evade every Tear Blast that Gohan used.

"This isn't working!" Gohan said to himself. "If only I could fire at a faster rate . . ." Then, Gohan saw an image in his head that showed him what to do. He focused his energy into the sword, pointed it at Cell, and shouted, "Ray Disaster!" This time, the blast emerged more quickly and hit Cell dead on. Then, a second blast was fired, wven before the first blast had dissipated. The attack engulfed Cell, and destroyed every last cell of his being.

-32-

Raditz stopped in front of a door. "This is it," he said. "This is the top of the castle. Prince Vegeta should be in here." He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.


	33. Chapter ThirtyThree

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Three

"I still don't understand how this will make me more powerful," Vegeta said.

"Don't worry," said the entity across from him. He looked just like Vegeta, but he wore black clothes. "It will. You would be a fool to pass up this offer."

Suddenly, the doors burst open and Gohan dashed into the room. "Vegeta!" he shouted. "Don't listen to him! He's trying to trick you into relinquishing your body to him!"

Vegeta turned around and saw Gohan. "Gohan? How can you possibly be here?"

"I'll explain later!" Gohan responded. "Just don't give in to Dark Vegeta!"

"Ignore him," Dark Vegeta said. "He's just a foolish child. He can't comprehend what this is about."

"Prince Vegeta!" Raditz shouted as he ran into the room. "Listen to Gohan! He just wants to take over your body in the real world!"

"Raditz?" Vegeta was puzzled by this turn of events.

"A civilian-class Saiyan like him doesn't know what he's talking about," Dark Vegeta said. "He was never brought up in an elite setting. He is completely ignorant to the power you will receive if you do as I say."

"Power?" Gohan interrupted. "You want to know about power? Power is not all it's cracked up to be! Remeber, I have moved on to the next level of Super Saiyan, so I know power better than your evil side could possibly know!"

"That makes no sense whatsoever," Dark Vegeta said. "Listen to me, Vegeta. If you accept this offer, the universe will be your oyster. You'll even be able to kill that annoying son of Kakarot!"

"What about the Roxians?" Raditz shouted. "What about the prophecy? Gohan is the only person capable of stopping the Roxian emperor!"

"Iron-based weapons will take care of Roxians, remember?" Dark Vegeta responded.

"You use the same incomprehensible logic as Frieza," Gohan stated. "Vegeta, do you really want to ally yourself with someone who thinks like Frieza, the being you can't stand more than anyone else?"

"Nonsense!" Dark Vegeta said. He then began to walk toward Vegeta. Suddenly, Dark Vegeta found himself in a headlock with a sword to his neck.

"If you want him, you'll have to go through me first!" Trunks hissed.

Dark Vegeta began to laugh. "You are a fool, boy!" he exclaimed. "You are in my world, remember? I am invincible!"

"Yeah, well, your underlings all said the same thing, and look what happened to them," Trunks said.

Dark Vegeta then laid his eyes on Gohan's sword. He brought up an arm and fired an energy blast at Testament. Quickly, Gohan jumped out of the way.

"There's something about my sword, isn't there?" Gohan said.

"N-no!" Dark Vegeta exclaimed. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"You're a bad liar," Gohan responded. "You fired an energy blast at Testament and then deny doing it? Just tell us."

Dark Vegeta clenched his teeth. "Fine!" he shouted. "Nappa, Frieza, and Cell were supposed to kill you! However, that infernal blade blocked my power flow!"

"I see," Raditz remarked. "So your power really isn't absolute, after all. You just made a deadly mistake."

"What are you talking about?" Dark Vegeta demanded.

"You just told us that even your power can be restrained," Gohan explained. "That gives us hope. Even the smallest amount of hope can conquer the most powerful of foes. Just ask Trunks. He knows better than anyone."

"Ha! You think that one tiny miscalculation can stop me?" Dark Vegeta said. He then turned his attention toward Vegeta. "All right. Let's make this quick." He walked up to Vegeta and lifted a hand, as if offering to shake Vegeta's hand. Vegeta hesitated.

"FATHER!!!" Trunks screamed as he tried to interfere. "NOOOO!!!"

Dark Vegeta kicked Trunks away. "Listen to me, Vegeta. With this power, you can find a woman to your liking and have a new, more worthy son. You can dispose of this pathetic specimen and his good-for-nothing mother, and find a life that better suits your stature." Suddenly, a jet-black blade was pointed right between Dark Vegeta's eyes.

"Shut UP!!!" Gohan yelled. "If you don't keep your mouth shut, I swear I will blow you into a million pieces!!"

Dark Vegeta laughed. "Nice try, but I know your past. You can talk big, but when it's time to let it all on the line, you hesitate!"

"Oh, yeah?" Gohan responded. "Try me." At that moment, the grooves that ran along Testament's blade began to glow. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't Ray Disaster your ugly mug into oblivion."

Dark Vegeta turned pale. "Um . . . uh . . ." he stammered.

"Can't think of one?" Gohan asked. "Well, don't worry. I won't let you die without a fight." He then lowered Testament and sheathed it. "Leave everybody else out of this. This is between you and me." Gohan then focused his thoughts on something else.

-33-

Trunks stood watching Gohan and Dark Vegeta get ready to fight. Suddenly, he heard a voice inside his head.

'Trunks!'

Trunks's eyes grew wide. He knew who was speaking to him, and he also knew how. 'Goku? Is that you?'

'Yeah, it's me,' Goku said. 'I need you to listen to me. Step into the fight. Stop Gohan from fighting and fight Dark Vegeta yourself.'

Trunks was confused. 'Why?'

'This is part of Gohan's plan,' Goku answered. 'He said that when Dark Vegeta hit you and insulted you that he could see a mixture of shock and anger on your father's face. If you fight Dark Vegeta, chances are your father will interfere.'

'Why doesn't Gohan tell me outright?' Trunks asked.

'Because then Vegeta will get angry with Gohan, not Dark Vegeta,' Goku said. 'Just do this. Gohan thinks it will work, and when he thinks something will work, it always does.'

'All right,' Trunks decided. 'I'll do it.'

'All right. Best of luck, Trunks.'

-33-

"Hold it!" Trunks shouted. "Gohan, this doesn't concern you!"

Gohan and Dark Vegeta both looked at Trunks. "Fine," Gohan said. "If you want to fight him, go ahead. Good luck." Out of Dark Vegeta's range of vision, he gave Trunks a thumbs-up.

"So, Vegeta's illegitimate son wants to fight me?" Dark Vegeta laughed. "You're only a half-Saiyan! Your human blood makes you weak, and that is why you will fall, you baseborn brat!"

Gohan looked at Vegeta. He could tell he was surprised at his shadow's comments. _It's working_, he thought.

Trunks, meanwhile, had begun to power up. Within moments he was at his maximum power.

"Foolish child," Dark Vegeta remarked. He, too, began to power up. Then, he hit Super Saiyan; however, only his hair changed color. His eyes remained black, and if that wasn't unsettling enough, his visible aura was black instead of gold. "I hope you are ready to die." He then flew at Trunks.

Trunks tried to jump out of the way, but Dark Vegeta was too quick. Trunks was launched into a wall. Trunks pushed away from the wall and threw a punch at Dark Vegeta, but he dodged it and caught Trunks with a punch to the back. Trunks hit the floor. Trunks immediately got up and fired an energy blast at Dark Vegeta, but he caught the blast and threw it back at Trunks. The blast hit Trunks and he fell to the ground.

Dark Vegeta laughed. "I told you before, you foolish boy, you're in my world!" He then pulled his hands back. "Now, say goodbye! Galick Gun, FIRE!"

The attack flew at Trunks and hit. When the dust cleared, it was clear that Trunks was fine, and the reason was literally standing right in front of him.

Vegeta had his arms spread, blocking Trunks. Interestingly enough, he had not taken any damage.

"Vegeta!" Dark Vegeta shouted. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"You stay away from my son, you demon!" Vegeta yelled. "I watched him die once, and I won't let it happen again, especially in my own dreams!"

"Vegeta, you forget," Dark Vegeta said, "that I'm here to help you."

"I don't believe that for one second!" Vegeta shouted back. "You just want to kill anything that moves! What will that accomplish? I was never like that!

"Yes, I have a son now. Yes, I would sacrifice anything to keep him safe. However, it is not a weakness! In fact, it's quite the opposite! Because of everyone - especially Krillin, Gohan, Piccolo, and my son - I realize where strength comes from!

"I now understand why Kakarot was able to defeat me all those years ago on Earth. It was because he was not fighting alone! It was through not just his strength, but the strength of his friends when he was too weak to even move, let alone defend himself. I underestimated their combined strength, and that's why I lost!

"I used to think that a strong body was all that mattered. I was wrong. A strong heart will always overcome a strong body. Kakarot has taught me that. I have lost the urge to kill Kakarot in battle, although I would like to fight him once again someday. But that someday will never come if I let you have your way! Dark Vegeta, not only do I reject your offer, but I will take you down myself!"

Dark Vegeta laughed. "What a phony speech! You are a true fool, Vegeta! As for taking me down, you are in my world! Not even you can stop me!"

"Oh, really?" Vegeta responded. "I beg to differ." He then closed his eyes. As everyone watched, Trunks got back to his feet, unhurt. Then, sunlight filtered through a window which had previously been dark.

"Wh . . . what's happening?" Dark Vegeta shouted, astonished.

Vegeta opened his eyes. "I just took my dream back," he answered. "Now, you are in my world." Then, the door opened and someone else walked in.

"Dad!"

"Goku!"

"Kakarot!"

"Hey, guys!" Goku exclaimed to Gohan, Trunks, and Vegeta. "I'm here to watch the fireworks with this guy, if you don't mind."

A second person walked through. He looked just like Vegeta, except he had facial hair.

Raditz immediately got down on one knee. "My liege! It's you!"

Gohan turned to Raditz surprised. "Is that Vegeta's father?"

"Yes," King Vegeta answered. "I'm here to watch my son conquer his evil."

Everyone's attention then focused on the two sides of Vegeta. Dark Vegeta stood dumfounded as Vegeta began to power up to his maximum. He then spread his arms out as he gathered energy.

"Dark Vegeta, say goodbye!" Vegeta shouted. "FINAL FLASH!!"

The attack erupted from Vegeta's hands and completely engulfed Dark Vegeta. The dust cleared and Vegeta reverted back to normal. He then felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Son, I could not be more proud of you if I tried," King Vegeta said. "You are truly a royal Saiyan." He then removed his medallion. "This now belongs to you, King Vegeta XV."

"Father . . ." Vegeta was unable to hold back his tears as his father placed the royal medallion around his neck.

"Wear the medallion given to you by King Michael III of Gabria," King Vegeta XIV said. "It will now have the Saiyan high priest's blessing, and it will be the symbol of a new beginning for the Saiyan race." King Vegeta then disappeared. Goku then stepped forward.

"Vegeta, you are incredible," Goku said as he smiled. "I heard what you said about me, and I appreciate the compliment. I also look forward to the day that we get to test our strength on each other." He then held out his hand. "Don't let me down."

Vegeta shook Goku's hand. "I don't intend to. As long as there is life in this body, I will train to the best of my abiities."

"I would expect no less from a Saiyan king," Goku said. "Farewell." With that, he disappeared.

Vegeta turned to Gohan, Trunks, and Raditz. Raditz immediately got down on one knee.

"As the new king of the Saiyan race, my first order will be to get rid of all formalities out of court!" Vegeta declared. Raditz fell over in frustration as Gohan and Trunks began laughing.

"I guess we should probably get back now," Gohan said.

Vegeta nodded. "Oh, and . . . thanks," he said.


	34. Chapter ThirtyFour

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Four

The door slowly opened and Gohan, Raditz, Trunks, and Vegeta walked out of the room. As they opened the door, they saw not only Lyle, but all of their traveling companions.

Bulma leaped up. "Well?" she questioned anxiously. In response, Gohan, Raditz, and Trunks stepped aside to let the newly-crowned King Vegeta XV enter.

"Did I just hear you question their success?" Vegeta asked. "I thought you had more faith in these three. If it weren't for them, I'd be a prisoner in my own body." He then turned to see Broly. "Hey! You're that Saiyan that was being controlled by the Roxians!"

Broly winced at the memory. "Yes, Prince Vegeta."

"It's _King_ Vegeta now," Vegeta stated.

"Why the sudden change?" Piccolo asked.

"The coronation ceremony took place between my father and myself in the dream world," Vegeta said. "I invited him into my dreams, just like these three were in my dreams." Just then, an alarm went off.

"What is that?" Gohan questioned.

"That's the Arcturian defense system!" Lyle shouted. "We're under attack!" In response, Gohan, Vegeta, Raditz, and Trunks all ran out the door.

-34-

A Roxian tossed a box of apples away. "This is fun!" he exclaimed.

"I know!" his companion shouted as he knocked over a tank of crustaceans. "We need to do this more often!"

"No you don't!" shouted a voice from above. Gohan landed in front of the two Roxians. Trunks, Vegeta, and Raditz landed behind him.

"Oh, look, Urka, they want us to stop," one of the Roxians commented.

"But we don't feel like stopping, do we, Ekka?" Urka said.

"Well, if you won't stop, we'll make you stop!" Vegeta responded. "Catch my drift?"

The two Roxians began howling with laughter. "You? A bunch of ragtag nobodies? Stop us? That's hilarious!"

Gohan sighed. "Fine, I guess we'll have to show you the hard way." The four of them began to power up. They all powered up until they hit Super Saiyan, and then stopped.

"You see, we're tougher than you think," Raditz said.

"What the hell?" Ekka said. "You guys aren't Arcturians! What are you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Vegeta asked. "Or are you both so stupid that you can't recognize four Super Saiyans when they come along and kill you?"

Ekka and Urka looked at each other. "Super Saiyans? That phony legend actually came true?"

"We're all strong enough that we each could take on a Roxian and win," Gohan said. "You don't stand a chance. If you know what's good for you, you'll surrender."

"Hey, Ekka, I think the kid just made a challenge!" Urka remarked.

"Yeah, he did!" Ekka responded. "And the Rekks brothers never turn down a challenge!"

"Which one do you want, older brother?" Urka asked.

"I want the kid who just made a challenge," Ekka answered.

"All right," Urka responded. "Then I'll take the young punk with the jacket."

-34-

Trunks froze. He had been afraid of this moment since he was recruited for this journey. He knew what would happen, just like the last time. He was too scared to even defend himself when Urka tackled him and knocked him into a wall. Trunks pushed off of the wall and launched himself at Urka, but the Roxian jumped up and brought two of his fists down on top of the time traveler. Trunks fell to the ground, and turned around to find Urka flying at him. He grabbed a nearby ledge and shot his legs up to kick the Roxian in the face. Urka got knocked back, and Trunks flew forward and hit the Roxian in the stomach.

-34-

"What's wrong with him?" Vegeta wondered aloud.

"What do you mean?" Raditz asked. "Gohan is only toying with the Roxian, can't you tell?"

"Not Gohan!" Vegeta snapped. "I'm talking about Trunks! His technique is sloppy, and he'll be prone to mistakes if this keeps up. It's almost as if he's afraid of his opponent."

-34-

Urka stopped himself about twenty yards up in the air. Trunks took the opportunity to cut loose with a volley of energy blasts. Urka was able to dodge all of them and caught Trunks with a punch in the jaw. Trunks flew backward, but Urka raced past him and brought all four of his hands together and brought them down on Trunks's stomach. Trunks had the wind punched out of him and he fell to the ground. Then, Trunks looked upward and saw Gohan thrust Testament through Ekka's chest, killing him. This jogged Trunks's memory. _Of course! Roxians are weak to iron!_

Trunks got up and drew his sword. He could sense Urka's power level coming up behind him. He turned around, but Urka was moving faster than he thought. He was right there, and when Trunks turned around, Urka was impaled by Odysseus.

-34-

Trunks sat in one of Lyle's rooms, looking at his lap. "Boy, you have some explaining to do!" Vegeta said. Normally, Trunks would have said something about doing a bad Ricky impression, but he knew that this was not the time.

"Why were you fighting so badly?" Vegeta demanded. "That boneheaded Roxian could have killed you several times over!"

"All right, all right," Trunks said in an exasperated tone.

"When I came back in time and met Gohan and my parents, I told them that I came back to tell them that I destroyed the androids and Cell in my own time. However, that was only half of the reason. I also came back to warn them, just like I did several years ago. The threat I came to warn them about was the Roxians.

"You see, the Roxians attacked in my time, too. They hit Earth with a force a hundred times more destructive than that of the androids. I tried fighting them, but it was no use, until I saw a Roxian get impaled by a steel beam when he was not going fast enough to get impaled by a flagpole, let alone a beam. I went home and grabbed my sword, but all I could do was defend myself. The Roxians came and killed everyone on the planet - even Mr. Popo and Korin - except me.

"I vowed that I would not let this happen again. I came back to warn you, but you had found out prematurely due to a little spelunking. I felt that if I came to help Gohan, I could become stronger. However, when I had to fight, I just . . . froze. I let my fear take over."

Lyle walked into the room and saw Gohan. "You should have told me sooner!"

"What?" Gohan asked, puzzled.

"You are Saoshyant!" Lyle answered.

Gohan was still confused. "I'm sorry, I'm not following you."

"Saoshyant, I want you to come with me," Lyle said.

Gohan stood up and followed him. He motioned for everyone else to come, too.

-34-

"You need to see Sage Noah," Lyle said. "However, I am not permitted to see him, so I shall take you to someone who is." Lyle stopped at a house and knocked on the door. A young man who looked no older than Gohan answered the door. He had long azure hair that was tied back behind his neck except for his bangs, which remained short, and a lock of hair that hung down from each side of his face. He wore a white cape which was fastened by a large black jewel, and he wore a green outfit with a black belt and white gloves and boots.

"Hello, Ayn," Lyle said. "I have some people who need to meet your father. Is he home?"

"Yes, he's around somewhere," Ayn responded. "Come in and make yourselves at home."

-34-

Lyle had left. Gohan and the others were lounging about an elaborate living room, waiting for Ayn's father. After a few minutes, Ayn came into the room. "My father will be ready in a few minutes," he said. He then looked at Gohan. "Hey, isn't that Gabrian armor? You can't be Gabrian, since you don't have wings."

"I'm not," Gohan said. "I'm a half-Saiyan from the planet Earth."

"Ah. Now I realize why Lyle brought you here," Ayn said. Then, a man walked into the room. He was a very tall and muscular man, and he wore an outfit similar to what Gohan and Vegeta were wearing. He had a sword hanging form his left hip, and he had a mustache and a spiky hairdo like someone else in the room.

Gohan was surprised. _Hey! He looks almost like an older version of me!_

"Greetings, travelers," the man said. "I have been told that Lyle brought you here to see Sage Noah. I happen to be one of the few who is permitted to see him.

"Let me begin by introducing myself. I am Legume, a Saiyan from the planet Vegeta."

"What?" Vegeta exclaimed. "You're still alive?"

Legume looked at Vegeta. "You know of me?"

"Of course!" Vegeta responded. "You served under my grandfather, King Vegeta XIII!"

Legume looked around. "I see we have some Saiyans here," he said. "How is the home world?"

Vegeta and Raditz looked at each other. "Uh . . ."

"We hate to tell you this," Raditz said, "but the planet Vegeta has been destroyed."

Legume was taken aback. "What? That's impossible! But how?"

Vegeta explained it in one word: "Frieza."

"Frieza?" Legume repeated. "King Cold's snotty little brat?"

"That 'snotty little brat' turned into the universe's most feared tyrant," Vegeta said. "He conquered planets and enslaved races, and he destroyed the planets of those who resisted. I was locked up in Frieza's ship because of my potential. My father, King Vegeta XIV, led an uprising that resulted in him and his men dead. Frieza then destroyed our home planet. It was thought that only four Saiyans were away when it happened. Raditz and I were two of the four. My bodyguard, Nappa, also survived."

"You keep referring to Frieza in the past tense. Why?" Legume asked.

"Frieza was destroyed by a Saiyan," Vegeta said. "The fourth Saiyan that survived, Kakarot, was sent to Earth to destroy it, but hit his head as an infant and lost his memory. He was raised as Goku, and fought to protect Earth. He turned into a Super Saiyan and tore Frieza apart."

"So the legend was true after all," Legume said.

"Actually, no," Gohan said. "Anyone with Saiyan blood can become a Super Saiyan if they train hard and find the right catalyst. For my father, it was the death of his best friend."

Legume looked at Gohan. "You are the son of this Goku?" he asked. "But according to my liege here, no Saiyan women survived."

"I'm only half-Saiyan," Gohan explained. "My father was a Saiyan, but my mother is a human from Earth."

"I'm the same," Trunks added. "My mother here is also human. But my father is a Saiyan. In fact, Vegeta here is my father."

"You don't look young enough to be Vegeta's son," Legume remarked.

"That's because I'm from the future," Trunks explained. "I come from a future where a different course of events took place. Technically, I'm still a toddler in this time."

"I see," Legume said. He then turned to look at Broly. "And you?"

"I was born the legendary Super Saiyan that appears every three thousand years," Broly said. "I was sent away and recovered by a colony of Saiyans who wanted nothing to do with purging planets."

Legume then looked at the others. "I see we have two Namekians here. And you look like a member of King Cold's species."

Siber nodded. "Yes, but I hope you don't discriminate against us for what his family did."

"Don't worry," Legume responded. "And what have we here? Humans, I presume?"

"Well, four of us are," Krillin answered.

Legume then looked at Androids 16, 17, and 18. "And you are?"

"We're androids," 17 simply responded.

Legume then looked at Sephra. "Ah, a Gabrian princess. It's been a while since I've talked to a Gabrian."

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Legume," Sephra responded. "My father loves to talk about you."

Legume smiled at Sephra, then turned his attention toward the others. "Now, what brings you here? Why would Lyle summon you here?"

"Um, well," Gohan began, "Lyle called me something strange. I believe he called me Saoshyant."

Legume's eyes widened. "Saoshyant? Hmm. I need to ask you a favor . . . Gohan, was it? I need you to draw your sword so that I may see it."

Gohan grabbed the hilt and pulled Testament from its scabbard. The grooves within the jet-black blade were pulsing with a faint light.

"Yes," Legume said. "Lyle was right to bring you here. You need to meet Sage Noah."

"Well, why does everyone call me Saoshyant?"

"All in due time," Legume responded. "I will take you to Sage Noah. Ayn, you come, too."


	35. Chapter ThirtyFive

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Five

Legume got down on one knee. "Sage Noah," Legume said. "He has come. Saoshyant has finally arrived."

Gohan and the others entered the room. In the middle of the room an old man sat on a throne. He wore purple robes and he had long white hair. The hair, however, did not compare to his beard. It fell all of the way to the floor and the end lay on the ground. He had a pair of half-moon glasses on his long nose.

"Ah," Noah said. "I never thought I'd live long enough to see Saoshyant. I am truly blessed."

"Uh, excuse me, sir, but why do you keep calling me Saoshyant?" Gohan asked.

"Saoshyant means 'reincarnated savior,'" Noah responded. "It is the name given to the one who represents the covenant between two species by his existence and by his blade." The sage looked at Testament. "Would you be so kind as to draw your sword for me?"

Gohan pulled his sword out of his scabbard. Noah extended a hand. "May I hold it for a moment?"

"I can't," Gohan responded. "I'm the only one who can hold this sword without being blown back."

"Trust me," Noah said. "The spirit residing within the sword would not do that to an old friend. Please, let me hold the sword."

"All right," Gohan said. He walked up and presented Testament to Noah. The elderly Arcturian took the sword. This time, the sword began to glow and a glowing light emerged from the blade.

"My dear friend," Noah said. "It has been so long."

'Ah, Noah,' a voice said. 'Are my eyes deceiving me? Is it really you?'

"Yes, I am still alive," Noah said. "I have been blessed with a long life so I could see your descendant come ten millennia later to once again protect the universe."

'Yes, I have felt it as well,' the voice said. 'Asok's descendant has not learned from his ancestor's mistakes. He wishes to accomplish what Asok could not. This sword has already seen several battles. I fear that they will only become increasingly difficult.

'I shall return to the blade for now. This boy - my descendant - must know the truth.' The glow faded and re-entered the sword.

"What was that?" Piccolo asked, awe-struck.

"That was the spirit of Lucius, the ancient hero and Gohan's ancestor," Noah said. "I fought alongside him against the evil Roxians.

"Ten thousand years ago, the Makyo Star reached its zenith with the planet Roxia. The inhabitants of the planet were normally violent, but this caused them to lose control of the evil in each and every one of their hearts. The Roxians began to commit crimes, and the punishment would always be doled out by the victim's family. This escalated until a full-scale war almost broke out. Then, one Roxian stepped forward. This Roxian's name was Asok.

"Asok told the people of Roxia that this escalating problem could be solved by conquering other planets. The Roxians rallied behind Asok and made him the emperor of the universe. Asok led the charge to conquer other planets. No planet could withstand their ferocious power. Eventually, the Roxians found their way here.

"Back then, I was a brash young mage determined to prove myself to my family, my village, and the one I loved. When the Roxians attacked, I was one of those who fought. We fought hard and managed to force the invaders into a retreat. We knew that they would return, and with greater force. We didn't know what to do until another group of visitors arrived.

"Unlike the Roxians, these people came in peace. They were looking for allies in the war against the Roxians. They were from a highly advanced society on a planet orbiting the star of Polaris. You refer to it as the North Star.

"This group of Polarians had escaped the Roxians. However, their planet had been destroyed in the process. Their leader was a woman named Alexandra. She and the others came asking the village elder for help. I was sent to fight the Roxians.

"I was not the only person that had been recruited. There were other warriors from other planets, each with his own abilities. The first person I met was Scargo, a mighty Namekian warrior. He had no equal on the planet Namek.

"The next person that I met was of Siber's species. He was a powerful fighter and energy manipulator. His name was Tundara. The next person I met was a Saiyan."

"No way!" Raditz exclaimed. "We were just a primitive race back then, trying to compete with the Tuffles!"

"That is correct," Noah said, "but Topota was different. He was extremely powerful, and his speed could not be matched. Even in battle, it was impossible to tell when he moved.

"The last person I met was a human. The moment I met him, I knew we would win. He would lead us to victory. His name was Lucius.

"With our combined strengths, we won battle after battle. We capitalized on the Roxians' one weakness."

"Iron," Gohan said.

"Correct. However, Lucius had a special sword. It seemed to have supernatural powers, and he seemed superhuman when he used it. That sword is the one that is in your possession right now.

"After what seemed like years, we finally entered battle with Asok himself. However, Asok was the most powerful Roxian in existence. Lucius was the only person who could stand up to him.

"The battle between Lucius and Asok seemed to shake the very fabric of the space-time continuum itself. Even though Lucius was armed with Testament, he still struggled.

"Asok, you see, had a sword of his own. Unlike Testament, his sword was made out of an artificial element known as neptunium. You see, the Roxians benefit from radioactivity, and this sword gave off powerful gamma rays, which forced Topota to flee. Testament, however, protected Lucius from the harmful effects of the gamma rays.

"It was a very long and grueling battle, but Lucius emerged the victor, leaving Asok mortally wounded. With his last moments, however, Asok transferred his spirit to his sword. With his dying breath, he told Lucius that his descendant would one day come and exact revenge on the universe. Lucius returned to Earth with the Polarian refugees. Slowly, Polarian technology integrated itself into human society. That is why your civilization has advanced as much as it has.

"Lucius lived the rest of his days in peace, but he never forgot Asok's prophecy. As he lay dying, he wrote his own prophecy. His descendant, armed with Testament, would protect the universe once more from the Roxian threat. He transferred his spirit to the blade.

"As you already know, history repeats itself. Ten thousand years have passed, and the Makyo Star has once again passed its zenith. Tensions among the Roxians rose, and a Roxian once again stepped forward. This time, the Roxian was Rekhas, a direct descendant of Asok. Like his ancestor, he proposed an empire that engulfed the whole universe. However, this time is different. Over the millennia, the Roxians' strength has increased exponentially. Rekhas himself can destroy an entire star system.

"But with new fear comes new hope. You are all going to fight this threat. All of you. The full-blooded Saiyans, Vegeta, Raditz, and Broly; the half-Saiyans, Gohan and Trunks; the Namekians, Piccolo and Nail; the humans, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and Bulma; Siber, an indirect descendant of Tundara; Sephra, the Gabrian princess; Ayn, a Saiyan with Arcturian blood and sorcery; even the androids, 16, 17, and 18. You will all fight. However, you cannot defeat the Roxians as you are now."

"What?" Gohan asked. "What are you talking about?"

"There is one power which will help you to defeat the Roxians. This power is magic."

"What? I don't understand," Piccolo said.

"Deep within each and every one of you lies the ability to use magic. This can be traced back to when the universe was still young.

"The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, is the center of the universe itself. Deep within the core was a planet. The inhabitants of this planet lived in a utopia. Until the unthinkable happened.

"One day, the star that the planet orbited, a red supergiant, went supernova. The inhabitants flooded into dozens of ships and took off in all different directions. The planet survived the supernova, but a black hole was left behind. The black hole sucked the planet in, and it continues to exist in the center of the universe, as unrelenting as ever.

"The inhabitants of the planet scattered across the galaxy. It became apparent that they would not survive, so they encoded their DNA into their ships. Each of these ships found a planet.

"About sixty-four million years ago, one of these ships crashed into the planet Earth. At this time, the dominant beings on Earth were gigantic reptiles known as dinosaurs."

Gohan gasped. "That was how the dinosaurs died out! All of the current dinosaurs are results of genetic engineering!"

"Correct," Noah said. "We have spread out over the galaxy. We Arcturians, the Polarians, the Gabrians, and the Saiyans all came from this central planet. Each developed differently, influenced by the planets we landed on. The Saiyans landed on the largest planet with the strongest gravity. As a result, the Saiyans are the most physically powerful. The Polarians and the Earthlings received a mental benefit and they are the most technologically advanced. As for the Gabrians, that is a mystery. No one has been able to figure that out. But with Arcturus, since the planet moves so fast, we have retained our magic.

"Every being from the central planet had magic. However, as time progressed, magic was used less and less frequently until it was no longer needed. Then it was simply forgotten. Here on Arcturus, magic thrives."

"But what about those of us who aren't human?" Piccolo asked.

"You all have the necessary genes to use magic," Noah responded.

"And us?" Android 18 asked. "We're androids."

"From what I can tell, 17 and 18 contain many human components," Noah said. "The two of you will be able to use magic. Unfortunately, since 16 is entirely mechanical, he will be unable to use magic. Now, close your eyes . . .there. It's done."

Gohan opened his eyes. "Incredible! This is incredible!"

"Unbelievable," Vegeta said in awe. "Somehow, I feel as if I have found a long-lost friend."

"You have now realized your true potential," Noah said. "You now have magic.

"Gohan, you are the light in the darkness. You have the ability to use light magic.

"Piccolo, you are a Namekian born in darkness. Therefore, you have been gifted with dark magic.

"Vegeta, King of the Saiyans, with your fiery temper and heated passion, you have the power of fire.

"Krillin, you were first introduced to life in a monastery. This is because of your affinity. You have light magic.

"Android 17, you are always cool and composed, yet you release your true fury upon those who take you too lightly. The power of ice is yours to command.

"Android 18, you are unpredictable and swift. This comes from your affinity to the wind.

"Siber, your entire race shares the same affinity. You can manipulate ice.

"Nail, you are firm in your beliefs, and you always stand your ground. You can control Gaia, the power of earth.

"Tien, you are dependable and reliable, just like the earth. This earth is yours to command.

"Yamcha, you are one with the wolf. The wolf is one with the wind. Therefore, you are one with the wind. Use it well.

"Raditz, you grew up in a dark atmosphere. Yet you showed no fear. You now control the dark.

"Trunks, your passion has led you this far. This passion controls the power of the flame that I have brought out from your soul.

"Sephra, you have been gifted with the divine right of royalty. This divine gift will prove useful through your light magic.

"Broly, the power of the legendary Super Saiyan comes from darkness. Now you will harness the power that gave you your strength."

"Excuse me, Noah?" Gohan asked. "Did you give us these affinities, or were we born with them?"

"You were born with these affinities," Noah responded. "I merely awakened them. Use these powers well, chosen ones. Ayn."

"Yes, sir," Ayn responded.

"Accompany Gohan on his journey," Noah said. "Take your father's sword, Armistice, and use your abilities to help end this threat." He addressed Gohan. "Ayn is very adept in elemental magic. He can use fire, ice, wind, and earth magic, and his swordplay surpasses even that of his father."

Gohan smiled at Ayn and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to have you along, Ayn."

Ayn smiled back. "Anything for a fellow Saiyan," he said.

Gohan turned to Noah. "Thank you for everything you've done for us, Noah. We are eternally grateful."

"I'm glad I could help," Noah said. "I am merely glad that I was allowed to live long enough to see this day. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am very tired. Please let me sleep."

-35-

"Well, I guess it's time to go," Gohan stated.

"Where are we going to go?" Ayn asked.

Gohan shrugged. "We're not sure yet. Wherever we're supposed to go, I guess."

"Actually, this will be my first time on a spaceship," Ayn said. "I'm kind of excited."

Gohan smiled. "Don't worry. By the time we're done, you'll be a veteran space traveler."


	36. Chapter ThirtySix

Author's Note: I've noticed that the majority of the reviews I've been getting lately are rather nondescriptive. I've rally been hoping to hear a little more detail, especially for the last chapter. In Chapter 35, a lot is covered, and a good deal of revelations are made. I figured that people would comment on what Sage Noah described about both the previous war against the Roxians and the origin of the humanoid species in the galaxy. I would really like to hear some more about the previous chapter, as well as this one, in the reviews. Now, the story.

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Six

"Okay . . . that's it . . . you're doing great . . ."

Ayn was training Gohan on how to use his newfound magic powers. Gohan seemed to be doing well with them. Right now, Gohan held a sphere of divine light in his hand.

"Now, attack!" Ayn shouted.

"White Lightning!" Gohan yelled, as the sphere of light blasted forth from his hand. It formed a beam that appeared to be electrically charged and lanced forward toward his target. The target shattered on impact.

"Excellent," Ayn said. "You're a natural at this. I've never seen someone who could master the divine light so quickly."

"I don't think it's me," Gohan responded. "I think I'm getting help from Testament."

Ayn shook his head. "No. Testament is not helping you. I know much about Testament's powers."

"How could you know about Testament's powers?" Gohan asked.

"I was fortunate enough to study under Sage Noah himself," Ayn said. "I learned a great deal about the ancient war, and Testament was a part of it. For example, did you know that Testament can give you powers based on your thought patterns?"

"Huh?" Gohan asked, confused. Then, it dawned on him. "Hey, Ayn. Could Testament enable me to read a person's mind?"

"Yes," Ayn responded. "From what Sage Noah said, that was one of Lucius's favorite abilities."

"So that's how I heard Broly's thoughts," Gohan said aloud. "It makes sense. Besides, who wouldn't want to read a person's mind?"

Ayn smiled. "Yeah. You could find out all sorts of interesting information. You could find out people's darkest secrets, who they like, who likes you . . . the possibilities are endless."

Suddenly, the ship shook, knocking Gohan and Ayn to the floor. They then heard Bulma's voice over the intercom. "This is Bulma! I need everyone on the bridge immediately!"

-36-

"You guys, we're under attack again!" Bulma exclaimed as she tried to fly the ship.

"Big deal," Vegeta remarked. "Let us go outside again and we'll handle the ships."

"Easier said than done," Siber said. "These are Roxian starfighters. They'll mow you down before you can flinch, Super Saiyan or not. Our best bet is to use the escape pods and use the ship as a decoy."

"Well, we have four escape pods," Bulma said. "Each pod can hold up to nine people, although it will be tight. We should take two pods and leave the other two in case we can get the ship back. Besides, it's in orbit around a planet. It's not like it will take off on us."

Quickly, they split into two groups. The first group consisted of Gohan, Androids 16, 17, and 18, Ayn, Trunks, Siber, and Piccolo. The others would take the second pod. The groups headed in different directions, and boarded the escape pods. In Gohan's pod, Android 16 moved forward to take control. Bulma had programmed knowledge of the escape pod controls in case something like this happened. Android 16 directed the escape pod at the planet. Suddenly, the pod shook.

"You guys, the Roxians have spotted us!" Android 17 exclaimed as he looked out the window.

"They target escape pods?" Piccolo asked in disbelief. "Cowards!"

Suddenly, the escape pod shook extremely violently. "They have destroyed the engine!" Android 16 shouted. "Our only option is a crash-landing on the planet below!"

The escape pod shook again. Gohan felt his head smack into the wall, and he blacked out.

-36-

Gohan regained consciousness on the ground. From what he could tell, he was lying on sand. He opened his eyes and sat up. As he did so, his head throbbed with pain and he exhaled sharply.

"You're awake," Piccolo said. "That's a relief."

Gohan turned to see Piccolo sitting nearby. He then looked around. There was sand as far as the eye could see. "Where are we? Where are the others?"

"If you mean Bulma's group, I don't know," Piccolo said. "The rest of our group is on the other side of that rock on your right. As for where we are, well . . . I'd say we're stranded on a desert planet."

Gohan got to his feet and walked around the giant rock. There he found the others.

"Well, well, look who's awake," Android 17 remarked, sitting with his back against the rock.

"Now that Gohan's awake, we should find some shelter," Siber said as he stood up. "The Roxians will probably com down to make sure that we're dead. We may be able to defeat them, but we'd better find shelter, just to be safe."

"And where exactly do you expect to find shelter?" Android 18 asked. "Look around. There's no landmarks for miles, aside from this big rock."

"Also, I'm sure the Roxians' scouters will pick us up if we fly," Piccolo said.

"Can't we send the androids?" Gohan asked. "Their power levels can't be detected."

"The Roxians' radars will pick them up," Siber said. "We'd best find shelter before it's -"

"Too late," said a voice from behind the rock. A pair of Roxians emerged. Before anyone could react, they combined a blast that struck Gohan in the head. Gohan was knocked unconscious once again.

Piccolo turned from Gohan to the Roxians. "How did you manage to sneak up on us? We should have felt you coming!"

One of the Roxians laughed. "We did it thanks to one of the great inventions of Trikhos - a.k.a. me - the suppressor!"

"It can mask a person's power from anything - be it scouters, strength testers, or freaky powers like you have!" the other Roxian said. "And it was the clever idea of mine - the sneaky Silkos - to use them!"

"Say, Silkos, you want a whack at one of these weaklings?" Trikhos asked.

"Why, yes, I would," Silkos responded. "I think I'll take the blue-haired punk."

Piccolo walked as Ayn walked slowly forward. _I guess we'll see what Ayn can really do._

"Just so you know, you can't win," Ayn said. "I have studied the Ancient Roxian War thoroughly."

"What's past is past," Silkos said. "That doesn't matter. Besides, everyone back then was a weakling." He then launched himself at Ayn.

Ayn leaped up into the air and delivered a kick to Silkos's back. The Roxian flew into the ground. Ayn flew forward and delivered about five punches to Silkos's back and then kicked him away. Silkos managed to land on his feet and launched himself once again at Ayn. The young mage moved out of the way and fired an energy blast into Silkos's back. The energy pushed the Roxian into the rock. Silkos then disappeared and reappeared right behind Ayn. He used his lower arms to grab Ayn in a bear hug and began punching him with the other two. Ayn kept moving his head back and forth to dodge the punches. Suddenly, Silkos's arms were forced open. Ayn jumped away and left a wind spell in his wake. He then held his right hand out. He swung it to the left as a cat would swing its paw and shouted, "Antipode!" A fireball and an ice spell appeared at his shoulders. The ice spell lanced forward and struck the Roxian. The fireball then flew forward and hit, causing extra damage since the Roxian was already cold. Silkos flew back from the blow of the fireball and landed face down.

Silkos climbed up to his feet. "Heh. Didn't expect you to use magic. But now, you're gonna PAY!" Silkos reappeared right in front of Ayn and punched him, sending him flying into the rock wall.

Ayn looked up to see Silkos flying at Ayn. At this point, Ayn was trapped. He was backed into a corner and had no way out. Right before the Roxian hit, Ayn yelled, "ERUPTION!"

A crack opened in the earth and molten lava blasted out right in front of Ayn and engulfed Silkos. Ayn had his eyes closed, but he could still feel the intensity of the heat from the lava. When he opened his eyes, the lava had subsided. On the ground lay the skeleton of a Roxian.

Ayn turned white. "No . . . what have I done . . . oh, God . . ." He pushed off of the rock and fell to the ground. "What have I done?" He looked at the skeleton. "I took a life . . . I murdered . . . I'm a killer . .."

Piccolo landed beside the distraught mage. "Ayn. Don't let it get to you. It had to be done."

Ayn looked up at him in anger. "No! You don't understand! This is the first time I've ever killed a sentient being! I can't take this!"

"Then, take THIS!" Trikhos yelled as he fired a blast at Ayn. The blast was suddenly deflected. When the dust settled, Android 17 stood in the way.

"You lay off!" Android 17 shouted.

"Fine," Trikhos said. "Then maybe I'll take it out on the kid!" He then fired a blast at the unconscious Gohan. Android 17 leaped in front of the teen and took the blast. When the dust cleared, it became apparent that the attack had done some damage. Android 17's right sleeve was a tattered mess, and blood leaked from his mouth.

Android 17 spit the blood out and assumed a fighting position. "If you're looking for a fight, look no further," he said. "I'm the man you're looking for."

"Fine," Trikhos said. "If you have a death wish, far be it from me to let you down."

-36-

Android 18 was looking on in shock. "What's going on? Seventeen must be malfunctioning. What makes him think he stands any chance? None of us have our weapons."

"Seventeen knows that he is no match for Trikhos," Android 16 responded. "He is fighting to buy time for Gohan."

Android 18 was stunned beyond belief. "Are you saying that my brother is actually sacrificing himself for someone?"

"It would seem that way," Android 16 said.

-36-

_Would someone please remind me of why I'm doing this again?_ Android 17 was completely confused as to why he was taking action in this manner. _Oh, right. Gohan. That kid changed me for good. He showed me what it's like to have a true friend. Looks like I'm pulling the same stunt that Piccolo pulled all those years ago._

Trikhos flew at Android 17. However, the nimble android jumped clear over the Roxian and charged forward, punching Trikhos in the back of the head. Trikhos fell to the ground, but quickly got up and punched 17 across the face, sending him flying. Android 17 came to a stop and flew at Trikhos. Right before he made contact, he quickly zipped around behind him and landed his hardest punch in the Roxian's back. He then dropped and swept Trikhos's legs out from under him. Android 17 then crossed his arms in front of his face, pulled his legs up, and flung them out, shouting, "Field on!" An energy field burst forth and knocked Trikhos away. He then stopped above Trikhos and brought his feet into the Roxian's back. However, Trikhos leaped up, and it seemed that he hadn't taken too much damage.

Android 17 flung one of his hands out. "Arctic Blast!" he shouted. A white ice-based blast launched forward and hit Trikhos. Android 17 flew up and punched the Roxian in the face, sending him flying. Android 17 then released another magic attack. "Ice Tornado!" A freezing whirlwind ensnared Trikhos and knocked him around. After the attack dissipated, the Roxian got up, frigid but still going strong.

Android 17 watched at Trikhos got up. _Just as I thought. He's stronger than I am._ He then looked over his shoulder at the still unconscious form of Gohan. _I hope you get up soon, kid, or I'll pull a complete Piccolo and kick it as well._


	37. Chapter ThirtySeven

The Chosen One

Chapter 37

_I don't know how much longer I can do this,_ Android 17 thought. _My power won't decrease, but it looks like it'll take a while before Ugly loses enough strength for me to fight him and win. Besides, like Piccolo said during our fight a few years ago, I'm not perfect and could mess up before long. Wait, did _I _just admit that? Ah, forget it. Back to business._

"Are you ready yet, punk?" Trikhos shouted. "If you've made your last requests, then let's go!"

Android 17 looked down at the Roxian. "Actually, I figured out a way to beat you. So you'd better be the one saying your prayers!"

"What?" Trikhos exclaimed. "I am perfect! No one can best me!"

"You see, that's where you're wrong," Android 17 responded. "Nobody's perfect. That includes you. In fact, you're so _imperfect_ it's painful to watch!"

-37-

"What is Seventeen doing?" Android 18 asked.

"He's trying to buy time by psyching out his opponent," Piccolo answered. "If you haven't noticed already, Roxians aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. The chances of your brother outfighting him are slim, but the chances of outwitting him are pretty good."

Android 18 let a laugh escape. "So, Seventeen's cockiness does have its uses, after all."

-37-

"I mean, how smart can you be when you keep flying right into my ice attacks?" Android 17 questioned. "Are you going to keep trying to reach me until your hands and feet fall off from frostbite? I guess you're just too stupid to learn a lesson."

"WHY YOU DISRESPECTFUL LITTLE PEST!" Trikhos yelled. "PREPARE TO DIE!" Trikhos then threw himself at Android 17. The android merely drifted out of the way and let the enraged Roxian fly by. He then grabbed Trikhos by the tail and begun swinging him in circles. He swung him faster and faster until he let go, launching the Roxian into the large rock. Seventeen then held his hand out and prepared to charge an energy blast.

"Let's see how you like my new attack!" Android 17 shouted. "Pulsar Grenade!"

A sphere of energy launched forth from Android 17's hand and toward the rock formation that Trikhos had been thrown into. When it hit, an enormous explosion went off. But it didn't stop there. As soon as the explosion began to die down, another explosion went off. When this explosion began to fizzle out, another one went off. This went for a total of five times. Finally, the last explosion died down, and the dust cleared. A crater deep enough to hide the Empire State Building was left behind, and the android could see Trikhos lying face-down at the bottom of it as sand began to pour over the edges.

"How do you like that," Android 17 remarked. "A death and a burial all in one. I just saved the pallbearers some trouble."

Piccolo gritted his teeth as he watched. He knew that Android 17's attack, while extremely powerful, was not enough to kill Trikhos. Then, he felt a power surge.

"SEVENTEEN!" Piccolo shouted. "LOOK OUT!!"

Suddenly, the sand in the pit that the Pulsar Grenade created erupted and Trikhos flew out. Trikhos, fueled by a blinding fury, launched himself at Android 17. Suddenly, someone yelled, "RAY DISASTER!"

A blast from the ground caught Trikhos, and right when it started to die down, it intensified again. When the blast was gone, there were no remains of the Roxian.

Gohan put Testament back in its scabbard. "Are you all right, Seventeen?" he shouted.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Android 17 responded. He then descended and landed in a sitting position. "This shirt isn't, though. When did you come to, by the way?"

"I woke up when your blast went off," Gohan answered. "That's how I knew when to attack that Roxian." He then looked over at Ayn, who was curled up in a ball. "Hey, what's up with Ayn?"

Piccolo looked down. "Ayn was responsible for killing that first Roxian. However, he has never killed another sentient being before, and his grief is overpowering him."

"I'll see what I can do," Gohan said. He then walked over to the young mage. "Hey, Ayn."

Ayn did not respond. He showed no sign of hearing him.

"Ayn, I heard about what you did. Listen. You did what you had to."

Ayn looked up. "What are you talking about?" he demanded. "I just killed someone! There had to be another way!"

Gohan squatted down in front of Ayn. "Ayn, you need to learn that it is not a sin to fight for the right cause. Several years ago, I was in a similar situation. The Earth was being terrorized by an evil monster known as Cell. He held a tournament so he could test his newly-acquired power. I myself fought in that tournament. After a brief skirmish, I tried to reason with Cell, telling him about the enormous powers that lied dormant within me yet surfaced in my rage. This only encouraged Cell to anger me. He tried to beat my strength out of me, and while he was doing so, Android 16 grabbed Cell and attempted to self-destruct with him. He didn't realize that Bulma and her father removed his bomb, and Cell blew him to pieces. Then, Cell created seven miniature versions of himself and sent them after my friends. Then, an onlooker who was himself defeated by Cell threw Sixteen's still-functioning head to me, and he told me something that helped save the world that day. Now, I'll relate his words to you."

Gohan put his hand on Ayn's shoulder. "Ayn, it is not a sin to fight for the right cause. There are people whom words cannot reach. The Roxians are a prime example. They want nothing short of universal domination, and no amount of persuasion will divert them from achieving that goal. You told me that you studied the ancient war. You know that I, unfortunately, am the only one capable of stopping the Roxian emperor. If I am killed, our efforts so far will have been moot and the Roxians will succeed in their dark ambition. Sometimes, killing is the only way. I myself despise killing, as do a majority of our friends here, yet we do it because I have no choice. By killing that Roxian, you saved me, and in doing so, saved any chance of stopping the Roxians. On behalf of every person in the universe . . . I thank you."

Ayn seemed to be in thought for a moment. Then, he stood up. "Gohan . . . you're right. These Roxians . . . words cannot reach them. The only way to stop them is to kill those that attack us. Nothing will change my stance on killing, but right now it is a necessary evil. Thank you for showing me this."

"Hey!" someone shouted from above. Gohan and Ayn looked up and saw Bulma by herself in the other escape pod.

"Hey, you guys!" Bulma said over the microphone. "Come on, I'll take you back up to the ship!"

-37-

Gohan stepped from the escape pod back onto the ship. He opened the next door and walked onto the bridge.

"GOHAN!" Sephra ran up to the young man and grabbed him in an embrace. "Thank heavens you're all right! I was so worried!"

"You were right to worry," Piccolo said. "The Roxians shot out the engine to our escape pod, and we made a crash-landing. Gohan was knocked unconscious in the process. Then, the Roxians followed us to the surface. Ayn and Seventeen had to hold them off until Gohan regained consciousness."

Gohan looked over his shoulder at Ayn and Android 17. "Yeah. Sorry for putting you through that."

"Don't be," Android 17 responded. "It wasn't your fault. I guess I'll go change shirts now."

"That won't be necessary, Seventeen," Piccolo said as he walked up to the battered android. With a wave of his hand, Android 17's clothing was back to normal.

"So, what happened to you guys?" Trunks asked.

"Actually, our trip was pretty event-free," Krillin responded. "We made it to the surface safely, and when the Roxians left, we came back up and Bulma went after you guys."

"All right, it's official," Android 17 remarked. "You guys suck, you know that?" Krillin just started laughing.

-37-

Gohan was lying on his bed, his hands behind his head. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

The door opened and Sephra walked in. "Hi, Gohan. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Gohan sat up on the edge of the bed and motioned for Sephra to sit next to him. "I'm fine. A little dizzy, but I guess that's to be expected after one has been knocked unconscious twice in the time span of a couple of hours."

"Oh, that's good," Sephra said. She looked at the stack of books next to Gohan's night stand. "What are all of those books for?"

"Actually, my mother wants me to read all of them by the time we return home," Gohan said. "She wants me to be miles ahead of the other sixteen-year-olds in English and mathematics. Most of those books are classics, actually. _The Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, Moby Dick_ . . . the list goes on."

"Do you like studying?" Sephra asked.

Gohan shook his head. "I hate it with a passion. I just want to be the kind of person my father was. My mother says that fighting doesn't solve anything. Then again, she's always been real stubborn and it seems she's losing her grasp on reality. She once said that my studies came before saving the world when my father was trying to convince her to let me train for the arrival of the androids. I mean, I love my mother and all, but . . . I don't know."

Suddenly, the ship shook and Gohan was thrown to the floor. "What was that?" he cried out.

"Guys, this is Bulma!!" Bulma exclaimed over the intercom. "We have a major emergency!!"

-37-

Gohan and Sephra were the first people to the bridge. "Bulma, what's going on?" he asked.

Bulma pointed out to the right side of the ship. "Look!" she exclaimed.

Gohan looked at where she was pointing. All around, the view was littered with stars, but in one small area, there was nothing.

"I don't get it," Gohan said, confused.

"Look at the infrared scan," Bulma said.

Gohan looked at one of the monitors. Everywhere around them was lit up, but there was one area where the screen was completely black. "Wait . . . is that . . . a black hole?"

"Yeah," Bulma responded nervously. "My calculations were off and we flew right into the gravitational pull of the black hole in the center of the galaxy."

Gohan's face turned white. "This is it . . ." he muttered. "We're doomed . . ."

"What are you talking about?" Sephra demanded angrily. "Bulma, punch up the hyperspeed and get us out of here!"

"It won't work, Sephra," Bulma said resignedly. "A black hole's gravitational pull is impossible to break free of. Nothing - not even light - can break free, and light is energy. It's completely impossible for matter, which has mass, to break free, no matter how fast we go."

Sephra turned white. She then turned toward Gohan, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Gohan, before we die, there's something I need to tell you," Sephra said. "Ever since the day we first met, I have had a huge crush on you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"You do like me?" Gohan asked. "Well, at least I'm comforted by the fact that the girl to whom I'm attracted is attracted to me, as well." He took Sephra into an embrace as the ship drew nearer to the black hole.

"You guys, I'm cutting the engines," Bulma said mournfully. "Let's just get this over with." With the flick of a switch, the engines died and the ship's speed at which it was traveling toward the black hole increased. Gohan and Sephra closed their eyes as they waited for the black hole to devour them.

-37-

Author's Note: Is this the end? Will Gohan and his friends die when the black hole claims them? If I don't get more reviews, it WILL be the end! Your reviews decide the fate of our heroes! Don't let them down!


	38. Chapter ThirtyEight

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Gohan waited. And waited. After about a minute of waiting, he opened his eyes. What he saw surprised him.

"Hey, you guys!" Gohan exclaimed. "Look!"

Bulma and Sephra opened their eyes. In front of the ship was the unmistakable form of the planet Gabria.

"It's Gabria!" Sephra exclaimed in complete surprise. "But how did we get here? I thought we were being sucked into a black hole!"

"WHAT?" came a shout as one by one the others entered the bridge.

"We got caught in the gravitational pull of a black hole," Bulma said softly, "but we're safe . . ."

Gohan and Sephra looked at each other. They realized that they were still clinging onto one another. They both let go and blushed furiously.

"Hold on," Vegeta said. "Something's not right about this." Vegeta then pulled up a star chart. What he saw made him gasp. "What? Impossible! The stars are in different places! It's almost as if we've gone five thousand years into the future!"

"Well, there is one way to find out what's going on," Bulma remarked. "We can land on Gabria and figure everything out there."

-38-

"Look at this," Sephra remarked in awe. "It's so advanced . . ."

Gohan walked ahead and found himself in a town square. In the center was a fountain, and in the middle of the fountain astonished Gohan.

"Hey, you guys!" He shouted. "Check this out!"

The others ran up, Sephra in front. What they saw made them gasp.

In the center of the fountain were two gold statues. The first was of an older version of Sephra. The second statue, raising his sword into the air (which squirted water, of course) was none other than Gohan as he appeared at his present age.

Trunks walked over to a woman by herself in the square. "Excuse me, ma'am," he said, "but could you tell me who the two people in the fountain are?"

The woman looked at Trunks with an odd expression on her face. Nevertheless, she told him. "The young man with the sword is Gohan, the legendary hero who saved the universe from the Roxians five millennia ago. The woman is our Queen Sephra the Great, who accompanied Gohan on his journey and returned to become a great queen."

Trunks thanked the woman and walked back to the group. "You were right, Father," Trunks said. "We've jumped ahead five thousand years."

"But how?" Nail asked. "It doesn't make any sense."

"I think I know," Gohan said. "Bulma, correct me if I'm wrong, but a black hole is a blemish in the space-time continuum, correct?"

"Yes . . ." Bulma said.

"Oh, I get it!" Trunks exclaimed. "Not all black holes are what they seem. Some of them are actually worm holes, which can instantaneously transport energy and matter to any other spot in the entire universe. However, since black holes are a rip in the space-_time_ continuum, this black hole took us to where the planet Gabria will be five thousand years from the present; hence, here and now."

Gohan nodded. "Exactly."

"I wonder . . ." Piccolo said. "Do you think we can go see what's going on back on Namek?"

Gohan nodded. "Sure. I could even take you there with my Instant Transmission if you want."

Android 17 looked over at the statues in the fountain. When he focused, he could see that the hands of Gohan and Sephra were intertwined. _ Lucky dog,_ he thought with a smile.

-38-

Gohan and the others appeared in a Namekian village. The nearby Namekians looked up from their daily routines and gasped.

"Wh-who are you?" one of them asked.

"My name is Gohan," Gohan said. There was murmuring among the Namekians when the young man introduced himself.

"Yes, I see," one of them said. "I am the elder of this village. You may call me Thammer.

"I see you look exactly like the legendary hero. However, I cannot understand how you can be alive."

"We went through a black hole and it took us five millennia into the future," Gohan responded. "That's why we're here now."

"We heard on the planet Gabria that Gohan succeeded in stopping the Roxians," Piccolo said. "Is this true?"

Thammer nodded. "Yes. Five thousand years ago, in your present time, Gohan stopped the Roxians permanently. He defeated the evil emperor Rekhas, and with the destruction of the Makyo Star, the universe no longer has to worry ever again about a threat from the Roxians. The entire universe regards you as a hero."

Gohan scratched the back of his head and gave a grin reminiscent of Goku. "Heh heh. I guess I'd better keep a low profile, then."

"Is the same true on Earth?" Piccolo asked. "In our time, none of them knows about Frieza, and they believe that a guy named Hercule Satan defeated Cell."

Thammer nodded. "Even on Earth they recognize Gohan as a hero. There were those who remembered the exploits of Goku when he was young. The king in your time is a prime example. He remembered how Goku defeated the Demon King Piccolo and how he won the last World Martial Arts Tournament. He never believed for an instant that Mr. Satan defeated Cell."

"How do you know all of this?" Gohan asked.

"We have a special relationship with the planet Earth," Thammer answered. "The guardian of Earth is a Namekian who is older than all of us put together. His name is Dende."

Gohan gasped. "What?"

"Dende's still alive?" Piccolo asked, astonished.

"Yes," Thammer nodded. "Even in his old age, he talks about how much he misses Gohan, Piccolo, and Krillin. I'm sure he would be absolutely delighted to see you."

-38-

Gohan and his friends appeared on top of the Lookout. Mr. Popo looked up from watering the flowers and gasped.

"What is going on?" he asked. "It's Gohan . . . and Piccolo . . . and everyone else! How could you be here right now?"

Gohan smiled. "Hello to you too, Mr. Popo."

"How could you be here right now?" Mr. Popo repeated.

"Our ship flew through a black hole and brought us to this time," Piccolo said.

Mr. Popo calmed down. "Hm. Yes, that does make sense."

"We heard that Dende was here," Krillin said. "Is it all right if we see him?"

Mr. Popo nodded. "Follow me," he said.

-38-

Dende, now an old Namekian, sat on his throne. His age had robbed him of his eyesight, yet he could make out several power levels.

"Dende, I have guests that are here to see you," came Mr. Popo's voice. "They come from five thousand years in the past."

Gohan and the others walked up to their old friend. "Hello, Dende," Gohan said.

"Heh. My hearing must be failing me in my old age, too," Dende remarked. "I could have sworn I heard Gohan greeting me."

"He's blind," Piccolo observed.

"Dende, it really is Gohan," Gohan said. "I've come from five thousand years ago, while I'm still fighting the Roxians."

"Gohan?" Dende responded. "Gohan, if that is you, I want you to power up to a Super Saiyan."

"All right," Gohan said. He then turned to his friends. "You guys, stand back." He then spread his legs and began to power up. His power level climbed and climbed until his hair and his aura turned gold and his eyes turned green. "It's done, Dende. I'm a Super Saiyan now."

Dende's mouth was open as he took in the unmistakable power level of his friend. Tears began to flow from his clouded-over eyes. "Gohan . . . it's you . . . it's really you . . . I've missed you so much . . ." Dende paused for a moment. "Ah, Piccolo. I can sense you too. Krillin, too. And . . . Nail . . . It's so excellent to see you all . . ."

"So, Dende," Krillin began, "we heard that Gohan succeeds in defeating the Roxians. Is this true?"

"Yes, it is as you say," Dende said. "Gohan fought against Rekhas and won. The Roxians are no more. Even the people of Earth acknowledge his accolades. They even learned that he was the true victor of the Cell Games and Mr. Satan has become only a footnote in the history books."

"Oh, man, we've got this one in the bag!" Krillin exclaimed. "Now that we know Gohan will win, we have nothing to worry about!"

"No!" Dende exclaimed. "You don't know for a fact that Gohan will win! This is just one possible future. I have a premonition that you will see what will happen should you lose. Gohan is the stone that split the river of time into two paths. One path carves itself into the ground and becomes the new course of the river, and the other path dries up. Such will happen when the pivotal point in time comes. If Gohan wins, time will continue down this path, a path of peace and harmony. If Gohan loses . . . well, we had best not dwell on what would happen if Gohan loses."

"Well, that's all fine and dandy," Vegeta said, "but how are we supposed to get back to our own time? We can't do anything if we're stuck here."

"I can send you back," Dende said. "All seven Dragon Balls have been gathered in the lookout. Summon the Dragon and wish to be back in your own time away from the black hole. Then you will be able to continue your quest to stop the Roxians."

-38-

Krillin stepped forward. "Now, I summon the Eternal Dragon to arise and make my wish come true!" he shouted.

The Dragon Balls began to glow and something shot forth from them. The burst flew around rather haphazardly, then stopped with a flash. When the light died down, Shenron floated in front of them.

"SPEAK, YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME," Shenron said in its booming voice. "I WILL GRANT YOU ANY TWO WISHES THAT YOU DESIRE."

"Um, we only really need one wish," Krillin shouted. "Can we just use one?"

"YES, YOU CAN USE ONLY ONE," Shenron answered. "NOW, STATE YOUR WISH."

"Eternal Dragon, please take us and our spaceship to the planet Arcturus five thousand years in the past!" Krillin shouted.

"VERY WELL. IT WILL BE DONE." Shenron's crimson eyes began to glow and Gohan and his friends disappeared from sight.

"Good luck," Mr. Popo said after they disappeared.

-38-

Author's note: I want to thank everyone who reviewed this past chapter. Don't quit now, and keep reviewing!


	39. Chapter ThirtyNine

The Chosen One

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Gohan and the rest of his friends found themselves inside their ship on the planet Arcturus. It seemed that they were back.

Sephra took a deep breath. "We're back," she breathed.

Bulma ran a diagnostic scan on the ship. "It looks like there's a breach in one of the fuel lines," she said. "We need to get it repaired."

As if on cue, Vegeta walked up to the star chart. After a moment of examining it, he said, "There's a space station about half of a light-year away. It's an older station, but it'll do. Out of 1,682,950 space stations, this one is designation number 666."

Gohan gulped. "Uh, could we try a different space station?" he asked.

"Not possible," Vegeta responded. "The next space station is one hundred light-years away."

"Hey, Gohan, what's up?" Sephra asked with concern. "You look scared or something."

"Listen," Gohan said. "Vegeta said that the designation number of the space station is six hundred sixty-six, right? Well, the number 666 is connected with the devil, the emperor Nero, and most things often considered evil. That's why I'm reluctant to go."

"Gohan, do you actually believe that?" Bulma asked. "That's just superstitious nonsense. We will be fine."

-39-

"Well, we're here," Bulma said.

"Where?" Gohan asked. "I don't see it."

Bulma pointed. "There."

Bulma pointed to a disc-shaped object. It was slowly spinning, and it was painted a jet-black.

Gohan shivered when he saw the space station. "Guys, this is a bad idea," he said.

Krillin looked at the space station and said, "Guys, I'm starting to agree with Gohan. That thing is giving me the creeps."

"Oh, don't be such cowards," Bulma said.

-39-

"I don't see anyone," Android 17 remarked.

"Well, there's bound to be some people around somewhere," Bulma said.

"Unless this space station has been abandoned and has just been floating in space ever since," Krillin said, his voice quivering.

"Oh, stop it," Bulma said.

Gohan was looking around, taking in his surroundings. Suddenly, he heard a whistling noise and he felt instantly tired. He was unable to control himself and he collapsed to the ground, sound asleep. One by one, the others followed suit.

-39-

Gohan could feel the sun beating down on his face as he lay on the ground. Suddenly, he realized that there was not supposed to be a sun on a space station. His eyes snapped open and he sat up. From what he could see, it appeared that he was on the planet Namek. _How did I get here_?

Gohan got to his feet and saw the rest of his friends. One by one, they woke up in a similar fashion.

"Where are we?" Siber asked.

"It looks like Namek," Krillin said.

Piccolo looked into the distance. "There's a village over that way. Let's see what the locals can tell us."

-39-

Gohan looked in horror. "What is this?" he gasped.

Piccolo walked up and stopped. "What is going on?" he demanded, scowling and shaking his fist.

As they watched, a group of Namekians was doing hard labor. Some were cultivating bizarre, sinister-looking plants, while others were moving supplies. Every now and then they saw a Roxian armed with a whip who would use it on an exhausted Namekian. Then, one Namekian went by that Gohan recognized. Gohan grabbed his arm and pulled him behind a building. He tried to shout, but Gohan covered his mouth.

"You are Thammer, right?" Piccolo asked.

Gohan removed his hand. "How do you know my name?" Thammer asked.

"Listen," Piccolo said. "We came from five thousand years in the past. My name is Piccolo, and this is Gohan."

Thammer turned to Gohan, looking at him. "Yes, I see. You look just like him. It's too bad that the fate of the universe could not have rested with someone more reliable."

Gohan took a step back in surprise. "What? What do you mean?"

"This," Thammer stated, "is what will happen if you lose. In this timeline, you lost the fight with Rekhas, and the Roxians' dark ambitions were realized. Now, the Roxians have enslaved every race in the entire galaxy, and Rekhas learned something dreadful."

"What is that?" Piccolo asked.

"The Dragon Balls," Thammer answered. "He learned of their powers and made use of them. First, he wished for immortality. Second, he wished to be a god, and last, he wished for the ability to transcend dimensions. He entered the Other World and killed King Yemma, the Grand Kai, the Supreme Kai, and every other divine being. He set his Roxians there to torture people after death, regardless of whether they go to Heaven or Hell. Now, we will suffer from the day we are born."

"But if you stop reproducing, the Roxians will run out of people to boss around, right?"

Thammer shook his head. "No. We are forced to reproduce. The Roxians watch over our eggs to make sure that strong and healthy Namekians are bred. As for sexual species, they use the practice of artificial insemination. They then force the women to work until they can no longer both work and support the baby. Right now, the many species of intelligent life in the universe suffer for all eternity, while the Roxians enjoy themselves for all eternity."

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky above and struck Thammer. The electrical discharge killed the Namekian as Gohan and Piccolo watched in horror.

Piccolo began to seethe with anger. "Damn that Rekhas," Piccolo breathed. He then looked at Gohan. "Gohan, it is imperative that you do not lose."

-39-

Gohan and Piccolo returned to the others. "So, what did you find out?" Bulma asked.

Piccolo and Gohan told Bulma and the others everything that happened. "It turns out that this is the future if I . . . lose . . ." Gohan finished.

"Gohan," Sephra said, "I'm worried about Gabria. Can you please take me there?"

Gohan held out his arm. "All right. Take my hand."

-39-

Gohan and Sephra appeared outside of a Gabrian town. From what they could see, the town fell into disrepair. There were crumbling buildings and vines growing all over the place. As they walked into town, they saw a similar sight to what Gohan and Piccolo had seen on Namek. This time, however, one of the Roxians spotted them.

"Hey!" The Roxian walked over to them. "What are you doing? Who are you?"

He held up a device. "Retinal scan," he said. "Look into the light."

Sephra did as she was told and allowed the Roxian to perform a retinal scan. "There is no data," the scanner said.

The Roxian looked at the scanner. "All right, who are you?" He then looked at Gohan. "And why don't you have any wings?"

Gohan stood up straight. "Tell me the coordinates of your home world."

The Roxian was puzzled. "What? You dare defy us?"

Quickly, Gohan pulled out Testament and held it in front of the Roxian. "Do you see this? This sword is known as Testament, or as you Roxians refer to it, Asok's Bane."

The Roxian took a step back. "What? Impossible! The last holder of Asok's Bane was killed five millennia ago by the great, benevolent, all-powerful, omniscient, destined ruler over all that is, all that was, and all that ever will be, Rekhas!"

"Well, he's back," Gohan said. "Now tell me what the coordinates are for the planet Roxia five thousand years ago."

"And why should I?" the Roxian responded defiantly.

"Because if you don't, I will kill you and ask someone else," Gohan said.

The Roxian began to sweat. "All right! All right! I'll tell! All right, here are the coordinates for the planet Roxia five thousand years ago . . ."

-39-

Gohan and Sephra reappeared in front of the others back on Namek. "So, what did you find out?" Bulma asked.

Sephra hung her head. "The situation on Gabria is the same as it is here," Gohan said sadly. "But we did get one thing." He pulled out a sheet of paper and handed it to Bulma.

"What is this?" Bulma asked.

"Those are the coordinates for the planet Roxia," Gohan said.

Bulma went pale. "What? We're not actually thinking of going there, are we?"

"Bulma, we have no choice," Gohan said. "If we want a chance of winning, we have to go to Roxia and fight Rekhas.

"There's one more thing I want to do. I want to see the situation on Earth." Gohan focused, but suddenly stopped. "Something's wrong. I can't sense the Earth."

"Well, we can fly there," Bulma suggested. "I found the ship and the fuel line is fixed. Are you guys ready to go?"

-39-

"We're almost there," Bulma said. "There's Pluto."

Gohan looked out the window. "Yeah, you're right." Then, he looked around. "Hey! Where's the sun?"

"Gohan, from this distance, the sun looks just like any ordinary star," Bulma said. "You'll see it soon."

About five minutes later, the ship reached Saturn. "I still can't see the sun," Gohan said.

"Yeah, that is odd," Bulma remarked. "Anyway, let's keep going."

The ship continued on its path and flew by Jupiter and Mars. They still could not see the sun.

Suddenly, Gohan saw something outside the window. "Hey, look! Is that Venus?"

Bulma looked in the direction that Gohan was looking. "Yeah. Why can't we see the sun?"

Soon, they passed Mercury. Suddenly, all sorts of warning signs and lights went off in the bridge.

"What the heck?" Bulma exclaimed. "We're headed toward a gigantic object! It's gotta be as big as . . ."

Gohan and the others were knocked to the floor of the bridge as Bulma swerved hard to avoid the colossus. "Big as what, Bulma?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know how, but that thing is our sun," Bulma said.

Gohan and the others were shocked. "WHAT?"

"I don't know how, but that thing has the exact same mass as the sun," Bulma said. "Somehow, it's been solidified."

"Well, let's keep going," Piccolo said. "We haven't found the Earth yet. It must be on some other part of its orbit."

Bulma suddenly pulled the ship to a stop. "This is about where the Earth should be," Bulma said. "But I don't see it."

Ayn looked out a window. "You guys, I think I found it," he said. "Although you're probably not going to be happy."

Bulma pivoted the ship so that it faced the direction in which Ayn was looking. "Oh my God . . ."

The Earth had been reduced to a mere formation of floating debris. The planet had been destroyed. Then Gohan noticed something else. _People! There are people floating in space! They can't decay without an atmosphere!_

"There are people's bodies floating through space . . ." Sephra observed. "I think I'm going to be sick."

Gohan continued to look out the window. Then, he saw something that would haunt his dreams for a long time to follow. "Oh my God!"

"What is it, Gohan?" Krillin asked. He walked over to the window and turned pale.

Outside the window, in outer space, were the bodies of Chi-chi and Goten.

Gohan was overcome by sadness. _NO! I've failed! I've let everyone down!_ Slowly, Gohan pulled Testament from its scabbard. He held it out as far as he could, then pointed the blade at himself.

Piccolo turned around just before Gohan pulled the sword toward himself. "GOHAN!!" he yelled. "NO! DON'T DO IT!!"

Gohan closed his eyes and pulled the sword toward him. Suddenly, the blade stopped moving. Surprised, Gohan opened his eyes. What he saw came as a surprise to everyone there.

"What's wrong with you?" Vegeta asked as he held the blade away from Gohan's body. "What do you think you're doing?"

Tears rolled down Gohan's cheeks. "I've failed . . . Just let me be with my family. . ."

"Don't speak such nonsense!" Vegeta responded. "You haven't failed anything yet! This is just one possible outcome! You can still prevent this from happening!"

Gohan's eyes widened. _Of course! I completely forgot!_

'HEH HEH HEH. HOW TOUCHING.'

Gohan dropped Testament in surprise. "What the . . . ?"

"I think I know!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Show yourself, Rekhas!"

'NO, I HOPE YOU FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T. YOU SEE, I HAVE EVOLVED PAST THE NEED FOR A PHYSICAL BODY. DID YOU LIKE MY LIGHT SHOW WITH THAT PATHETIC NAMEKIAN?"

Gohan bared his teeth. "That was you?"

"Bastard!!" Piccolo yelled.

'WATCH YOUR TONGUE, PICCOLO. IT'S NOT NICE TO CALL THE SUPREME BEING OF THE UNIVERSE A BASTARD, YOU KNOW.'

"So you get your kicks out of torturing innocent people?" Gohan yelled. "You make me sick!" His anger carried him into Super Saiyan.

'ALL PEOPLE EXIST FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE TO SERVE THE ROXIANS! THEY ARE MY PROPERTY! I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT WITH THEM!'

"Well, fortunately, this universe will never happen!" Gohan yelled. "When I get back to my own time, I will destroy you!! You hear me? I'll destroy you, Rekhas!"

-39-

"I'll get you! You hear me?"

"Gohan! Gohan, come back! Gohan!"

Gohan opened his eyes and found himself back in the space station. He sat up. "What happened?"

"We just saw the future that will happen if Rekhas wins," Ayn said. "Our consciousnesses were sent to the future."

Gohan jumped up. "Wait! That means we don't have the coordinates-"

Bulma pulled out a slip of paper. "Yes, we do," she said. "They're right here. Also, the ship is fixed."

"All right, all in favor of leaving ASAP, get to the ship as fast as you can!" Krillin shouted as everybody retreated to the ship.


	40. Chapter Forty

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty

"Well, shall we get going?" Bulma asked. "If there is anything else to do, we'd best do it now. Once we reach Roxia, there is no turning back."

"There is something I would like to do," Piccolo said.

"Me too," Nail added. "We need to use the Namekian Dragon Balls."

"All right," Bulma said. "I'll set the coordinates."

"Bulma, wait," Gohan interrupted. "It will be a lot quicker if I use my Instant Transmission to take them to the planet and back. Just keep the ship here."

Piccolo and Nail walked up to Gohan, and each placed a hand on one of Gohan's shoulders. Gohan brought his right index and middle fingers to his forehead and concentrated. Suddenly, they disappeared.

-40-

Gohan, Piccolo, and Nail appeared in the midst of a Namekian village. "Ah, if it isn't Gohan, Piccolo, and Nail," Elder Moori commented. "What brings you three to our village?"

"We need to use the Dragon Balls," Piccolo answered. "We're heading to the Roxian home world, and Nail and I each have something we must do."

Moori nodded. "Very well," he said. "You'll find all seven Dragon Balls in my house. Help yourselves."

-40-

Gohan, Piccolo, and Nail took the Dragon Balls outside the village and set them down on a hill. "Man, it's a good thing that the Namekian Dragon Balls only take 150 days to be restored," Gohan remarked.

"All right, stand back," Piccolo ordered. "I'll go first." He then spoke in Namekian. "I call forth Porunga, the Eternal Dragon of Namek, to grant my wishes!" He then took a step back as the Dragon Balls began to glow. A beam of light shot forth from the Dragon Balls, and this light grew and slowly took shape. In a matter of moments, Porunga had appeared before the three travelers.

"SPEAK, YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME!" Porunga stated. "I SHALL GRANT YOU THREE WISHES."

"So, Piccolo, what's your wish?" Gohan asked.

"Well, I need to get a lot stronger, and there's only one way I can think of doing that," Piccolo said. "I'm going to bring back my father, the Demon King Piccolo!"

"WHAT?!" Gohan exclaimed. His father had told him all about his struggle against Piccolo's father. "Are you sure about this, Piccolo?"

Piccolo ignored Gohan's statement and focused his attention on the dragon. "Please bring King Piccolo back to life!" Piccolo shouted in Namekian.

In response, Porunga's eyes glowed. Suddenly, another Namekian appeared. He wore similar clothing to Piccolo, but looked much like a younger version of Kami. "Wh-where am I?" he asked. He then paused as he felt a familiar presence. "Kami? Kami is here?"

Piccolo walked up to his ancestor. "Yes, he is," he said. "I am your offspring and I fused with Kami."

King Piccolo took a step back. "You lie!" he shouted. "My offspring would rather die than fuse with Kami!"

"Wrong," Piccolo responded. "I'm telling the truth. Now, I need you to unite with me so that we may become whole again."

"NO!" King Piccolo shouted. "I refuse to unite with Kami! I am evil incarnate! I do not bow down to anyone! The only way I will unite with you is if you best me in battle!"

"You're a fool, that's what you are," Piccolo grumbled, but nevertheless prepared to fight. He leaped at King Piccolo and caught him with a blow to the head, rendering him unconscious.

"Piccolo, are you sure that you want to unite with someone so weak?" Gohan asked.

"It's not about _his_ strength, it's about the strength to be had when he and Kami are united again," Piccolo said. He then placed his hand on King Piccolo's chest.

King Piccolo woke up. "So strong . . ." he muttered. "Kami by himself would never have been this strong . . . and that outfit . . . so much like mine . . . you are my offspring . . ."

"Yes, I am," Piccolo said. "Now, I need you to fuse with me. The entire universe faces a danger such that it has never known, and I need your strength to stop this force."

"Fine . . ." King Piccolo said. With that, he began to glow. The light grew so bright that Gohan and Nail had to shield their eyes. Suddenly, the light dimmed, and when Gohan opened his eyes, he saw Piccolo with a silver aura surrounding him.

Piccolo stood up, looking at his arms. "My full power has returned. I am complete." He took a deep breath. "Now I'm ready to show those Roxians who's boss!"

"YOU STILL HAVE TWO MORE WISHES," Porunga interrupted. "HURRY UP AND MAKE YOUR WISHES."

"As touchy as ever," Piccolo remarked with a smirk. "All right! Nail, it's your turn!"

"This is my wish!" Nail shouted in Namekian. "Ten years ago, there was a Namekian named Guru. I want him to be brought here from just before he dies!"

Gohan turned to Nail in shock. "Nail?! What are you planning to do?" However, he was interrupted by the dragon's response.

"IT WILL BE DONE," Porunga responded and its eyes began to glow brighter. Soon, a new entity began to appear. He seemed to fade into existence. It was a Namekian who was extremely old, and his long age had made him a giant. The dragon had brought Guru to this place from ten years ago.

"Wh-where am I?" Guru asked. "Wait . . . is that . . . Nail? But did you not fuse with Piccolo?"

"I did," Nail said, "but we separated by way of the Dragon Balls.

"We don't have time for that now. All I can say is this. You have been brought ten years into the future. Right now, there is a threat to the universe that makes Frieza seem like a fly. I need your help. I need you to unite with me."

"WHAT?" Gohan exclaimed. "Nail, you can't be serious!"

Nail turned to Gohan. "I am serious, Gohan. If Guru were to unite with me, we would have a far better chance of fighting the Roxians."

"And that is why you brought me here," Guru said. "Heh. If I refuse, I will die. But if I accept, I will be able to do one last thing for the universe at large. Nail, I accept your proposal."

Nail walked up to Guru and placed his hand on the large Namekian's leg. Guru made no noise for a moment, then shouted as a burst of light came forth as Gohan and Piccolo once again were forced to shield their eyes. When the light died down, Guru was nowhere to be seen. Nail was surrounded by a powerful aura.

"This power . . ." Nail muttered. "Unbelievable . . . Thank you, Guru. You have just helped to tip the scales in our favor. I will use this power wisely."

"All right," Gohan said. "What do we do about our final wish? I say we see if we can get the Namekian Dragon Balls to be ready for another summoning right after the dragon leaves."

"Is that even possible?" Nail asked.

"Why would you want to do that?" Piccolo asked.

"Well, we don't know how dangerous the planet Roxia will be," Gohan answered. "We may need to bring some people back."

"I see your point," Nail said.

"Gohan, the Namekian Dragon is only capable of reviving one dead person per wish, remember?" Piccolo asked.

"Yes, I know," Gohan responded, "but most of the people fighting here can't be wished back by Shenron. Also, the Earth's Dragon Balls take a full year to regain their strength, remember?"

"All right," Piccolo responded. He then turned to the dragon. "Is it possible to keep these Dragon Balls active even after you've been summoned?"

"IT IS POSSIBLE," Porunga said. "HOWEVER, YOU WILL ONLY GET ONE TO TWO WISHES, DEPENDING ON HOW LONG YOU WAIT."

"That's fine," Piccolo said. "Then, our last wish will be to keep the Dragon Balls active after you leave!"

Porunga's eyes glowed. "IT IS DONE. THREE WISHES HAVE BEEN GRANTED. I BID YOU FAREWELL."

-40-

Gohan, Piccolo, and Nail reappeared on the ship. "Are you guys ready?" Bulma asked.

"Yes," Gohan answered. "Now, let's go!"

"You got it, kid!" Bulma exclaimed. "Next stop, Roxia! Watch out Rekhas, because Gohan's coming for you!"


	41. Chapter FortyOne

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-One

A soft "Thump" could be felt as the ship touched down on the surface of Roxia. Gohan and friends could look out and see the surface of the Roxian planet for the first time.

"It's . . . dark," Gohan commented. The sky around them was pitch-black, yet the sun was out. The sun, however, was very hard to notice, considering the cloud cover around the planet. It seemed here that lightning bolts flashing across the sky were commonplace. The landscape was barren wasteland as far as the eye could see. However, in the distance, they could see a towering figure.

"Vanity, thy name is Rekhas," Android 18 remarked. "Building a castle is one thing, but it's something completely different to build a castle visible from space."

"Not to mention absolutely stupid," Raditz added. "If someone were to target the planet, they'd know exactly where to attack."

"Well, in a sense, that's what is about to happen," Gohan said. "Remember the reward I was promised back on Quarr? I requested a division of Quarran starships to be ready to attack the planet itself once we give the signal."

"You guys, I did notice something when we came down here," Piccolo said. "Don't you find it odd that there's no security? It's almost as if they want us to make it to Rekhas."

"Yeah, I do find that odd," Gohan concurred. "Still, we should be on our guard. We'd best take everybody, just to be safe." He then looked at Bulma and Sephra. "Except for you two. I want you to stay in the ship."

"Hey, Gohan," Krillin remarked, "since when have you been Patton?"

"Well, I'm the one with Testament, right?" Gohan answered. "I feel as if I am the one in charge here. Does anyone object?" Everyone, including Vegeta, remained silent. "All right, then, let's go!" Just then, there was a knock on the hatch. Bulma opened the hatch and two Roxians walked in. One of them looked at Gohan.

"Just as Lord Rekhas said. The boy has Asok's Bane. All of you, come with us. Not one person stays behind. Lord Rekhas, your demise, awaits."

-41-

The two Roxians escorted Gohan and his companions into a gigantic room. On one end was an enormous throne. A lone Roxian went into the air and floated over to his company. He wore pitch-black body armor, with a blood-red cape flowing behind him. He landed in front of Gohan.

"Thank you, men," he said. "Leave us." The two Roxians saluted and left.

"Descendant of Lucius, and his friends, welcome to my home. I am Rekhas, supreme emperor over all of Roxia, and soon, the universe. Here you will meet your final destiny.

"But first, I would like to address some of you personally. The Namekian named Piccolo, step forward." Piccolo reluctantly obliged. The shorter Rekhas walked around him. "Namekian born of darkness. You have stooped so low as to unite with your light. You once tried to conquer the world. Now you fight to protect its people. Had you not chosen this path, you would not have to die today."

"Since the beginning, I have never been one to flee from a battle," Piccolo said. "I admit, I once fought to conquer the Earth, and I was overjoyed at the chance to finally kill my nemesis. But I trained with Gohan for a year. He taught me what it meant to have a friend. I now give you the same answer I once gave Dr. Gero: You know, I was once like you. But then I realized that the more I hurt people, the more harm you do to yourself."

Rekhas frowned at Piccolo's answer. "I have nothing more to say to you. Now, my fellow member of royalty, King Vegeta XV, step forward." Vegeta scowled and took a step forward. Rekhas chuckled. "You know, it's funny. You had everything you had wanted under Frieza, yet you hated him. You once aspired to be immortal. You were once the greatest Saiyan in the universe. Now, there are Saiyans who have been more powerful than you. Yet, you collaborate with them. Have you forgotten your dream?"

"No, I have not," Vegeta responded. "But I've learned that there are things that are more important. You see, since arriving on Earth, I've found out what it means to live. You see, I have a son now. I would give my life to see him safe. In the past, I would think that family and friends make one weak. I've learned that these things make you strong. They give you a reason to fight and to give your life. That's why Kakarot was able to defeat me when we first met all those years ago."

Rekhas walked up to Android 17. "One of Dr. Gero's creations," Rekhas said. "You have disobeyed your master. What's worse, you killed him. You only cared about what would let you have fun. The only person you ever showed any concern about was your sister. Now, you, too, are fighting to protect."

"I've found there are things worth protecting," Android 17 responded. "People can be as fun as games. Sharing fun with someone else makes it grow. Gohan has taught me that. During the past few months we've spent together, I've grown attached to the boy. If I had to do it all over again, I would do it in a heartbeat. Besides, it's hard to have fun when you're dead."

"The convictions of each and every one of these people here cannot be uprooted," Piccolo said. "You're wasting your time, Rekhas."

Rekhas glared at Piccolo. "Very well. I was hoping to send some of you packing, or better yet, join me, but I see that what you say is true. Such a shame, really. All of this fighting talent going to waste. Oh, well." Rekhas jumped backwards to put some distance between himself and his opponents. Then, he snapped his fingers. Several hidden panels flipped forward and light shined forth. Instantly, Gohan, Vegeta, Raditz, Trunks, Broly, and Ayn doubled over, suddenly sick to their stomachs.

"Damn you!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Using radiation to cripple the Saiyans? You coward!"

"Oh, that's not the real reason I turned on the radiation," Rekhas said. "Sure, it's a nice side effect, but that's not it. You see, Roxians benefit from radiation. It makes us stronger. This is what we will have when I succeed!"

"What do you mean?" Android 17 demanded.

"Surely you've noticed the tanks of krypton scattered throughout Roxian interest areas," Rekhas said. "I'm sure you also know about our inherent weakness to the gas. Why then, would we want a gas that cripples us? The answer is simple. On Roxia, we have perfected nuclear fission, just like you have on Earth. We put the krypton through a series of fissions. When all is said and done, we end up with oxygen gas and water. Because of the fission process, however, the oxygen and the water are radioactive. This will turn every planet with a krypton supply into a treasure trove of forbidden fruit for us!"

"Well, unfortunately for you, your plans will never come to pass!" Tien said. "You're going down, here and now!"

"Well, you certainly seem anxious," Rekhas observed. "Then you go first. You will go against me, one-on-one. And to ensure that no one else interferes-" a giant dome of energy appeared - "I'll set up this energy dome! Not one of you has the power to get through it!"

"TIEN!!" Krillin yelled.

"I don't believe this!" Yamcha exclaimed.

On King Kai's lookout, Goku and King Kai were watching. Both were visibly shaken. "No! There's no way Tien can win!" Goku exclaimed. "He's done for!"

Tien showed no emotion as he stood facing Rekhas. Perfectly calm, he pulled out a lance from his belt. "I know for a fact that Roxians can't survive a cut made by iron," he said. "All I have to do is cut your skin with this, even if it's a pinprick. Then, I win." With that, he charged forward. Rekhas jumped up and hit Tien with all four of his fists in his back. Tien fell to the ground, paralyzed from the incredible force behind the blow.

Rekhas floated into the air. He then held all four arms out in front of his face. A gigantic energy blast surged forward and engulfed Tien. When the smoke cleared, Tien was nowhere to be found. He had been destroyed by the energy blast.

"AAAAHHHH!" King Kai screamed. "It can't be!"

"TIEN!!! NOOO!!!" Yamcha cried. He then charged forward.

"YAMCHA, NO!!" Piccolo yelled, but it was too late. The energy dome had closed as soon as Yamcha entered the proximity of the dome. Yamcha continued to charge, but right before he reached Rekhas, he disappeared. He reappeared right behind Rekhas and yelled, "WOLF FANG FIST!!!"

Rekhas spun around and grabbed Yamcha's wrist. He then flung Yamcha into the dome, and followed up with an energy blast. Once again, the energy blast destroyed him.

Piccolo clenched his teeth and balled his fists in fury. "Monster!!"

Krillin could barely contain his anger. He was just about to jump forward when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Android 18.

"Don't do it, Krillin," Android 18 said. "You'll only end up like them."

Rekhas chuckled. "Hmm, no more volunteers? Oh, well, I guess I'll have to pick my next victim." The energy dome seemed to surge forward and grabbed Krillin. He had no choice now.

Krillin held his hand palm up in the air. Energy seemed to gather in a circular pattern. "Destructo Disc!" The attack flew forward and straight at Rekhas. He held up an arm and let the disc hit it. The disc fractured into many pieces. Krillin then pulled out his twin daggers and flew forward. He leaped up into the air and threw one dagger down, but Rekhas dodged it. He grabbed Krillin by the leg and threw him into the ground. He then let loose with another energy blast that engulfed Krillin.

Android 17 gritted his teeth, watching in anger. _This is unbelievable! Not one of them had a chance! He's picking on us like a bully!_

"YOU MONSTER!!" Android 18 screamed. Android 17 turned toward her.

"Eighteen, NO!" Android 17 shouted. "Don't do it!!" Nevertheless, Android 18 flew forward to challenge Rekhas.

Android 17 watched on, fearing for his sister. Seeing as Rekhas had destroyed three of their friends so far without breaking a sweat, he did not expect him to have much trouble with Android 18. However, now he could only watch on.


	42. Chapter FortyTwo

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Two

Android 18 flew forward at Rekhas, her morning star ready to strike. Rekhas jumped up into the air and kicked 18 in the back of the head. She fell to the ground, but was able to get up.

Rekhas laughed. "So, I see you are stronger than the previous three," he said. However, he had dropped his guard. Android 18 cut loose with a massive energy blast that hit Rekhas and exploded, creating a large cloud of dust. However, when the dust cleared, Rekhas was still there, and there was not even a scratch on himself or his armor.

Rekhas continued to laugh. "I'm judging by your silence that it's my turn. Well, take THIS!" He fired a large energy blast like those that killed Tien, Yamcha, and Krillin. However, to everyone's surprise, Android 18 caught the blast and began to struggle with it. It began to push her closer and closer to the ground, until it stopped a few feet above the floor. Android 18 was able to fight the blast, and because she had an unlimited supply of energy, she would be able to hold it for as long as necessary.

Rekhas saw that the blast at its current strength was going nowhere. He decided to intensify the strength of the blast. The added power drove Android 18 into the ground and resulted in an explosion. When the smoke cleared, the android was nowhere to be seen.

Rekhas began laughing again. "Next!" he shouted.

Fists shaking in barely controllable anger, Android 17 stepped forward through the energy dome. "You are a foul beast," he said, voice shaking in time with his fists. "You kill other people and take joy in it. You even killed my sister, and the man she loved. That is a mistake-" he assumed a fighting pose - "that you will not live to regret!"

"What makes you think that you will fare any better than your sister did?" Rekhas asked.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" Android 17 responded. "Dr. Gero felt he put too much power in my design that he suppressed the powers of 18, hoping he could better control her. Of course, it failed, so it was just a waste. Now, if you think you can beat me, come and get me."

Rekhas obliged and charged at Android 17. However, the android jumped up and brought his fists down into Rekhas's back. The force of the blow knocked Rekhas to the ground, but he immediately got up, obviously unfazed. Rekhas then charged upward at Android 17, but 17 was too nimble and managed to dodge the attack. He then pulled out his gun and fired a bullet, but it was unable to penetrate Rekhas's armor. Rekhas turned around and once again charged at Android 17, but once again he got out of the way.

Piccolo soon realized what Android 17 was doing. _He's going to try to wear Rekhas out. If Rekhas uses all of his energy trying to catch Android 17, he'll be in no position to fight back when Seventeen does go on the offensive._

Unfortunately, Rekhas came to the same conclusion that Piccolo did. "Trying to wear me out? It won't work. I'm not even close to using my full power!" He then disappeared and reappeared behind Android 17, grabbing him in a bearhug. He then threw him down on the ground and fired an energy blast which engulfed him.

Rekhas landed. "Next!"

Calmly, Android 16 walked forward and into the dome. "Another android?" Rekhas laughed. "I see you want to end up just like your friends!"

"I think you'll find a greater challenge with me than you will with Seventeen and Eighteen," Android 16 responded. Metal claws slid forward from his fists. "All of the pain you caused will be paid back to you tenfold!" He then charged forward. Rekhas prepared to jump, but suddenly, Android 16 stopped and fired his fist from his arm. This caught Rekhas by surprise, and he barely managed to dodge the attack. Android 16 ran up and grabbed his arm, but then Rekhas kicked him in the side, sending him sliding. Rekhas then fired another energy blast that consumed the android.

"Next!" Rekhas turned to his opponents. However, nobody stepped forward. "I see, so no one wants to volunteer. Well, you know what that means!" Siber was pulled away from the others and into the dome.

Siber powered up. "I knew that it would come to this eventually," he said. "If you hadn't started this insanity, I never would have been enslaved. My mother would still be alive. You will pay for your crimes with your life! Even if I lose, you will meet your downfall!" He grabbed his razor boomerang and threw it. Rekhas jumped into the air to dodge it. However, Siber had expected this. He fired a narrow beam of energy that could pierce Rekhas's skin as if it were tissue paper. Rekhas barely dodged this attack, and Siber led off with a few more attacks of the same kind. Rekhas managed to dodge them all. Rekhas responded with another energy blast.

Rekhas landed, laughing. "Next!" Once again, nobody came forward. "All right, then!" Suddenly, Nail found himself dragged into the dome.

Nail threw his vest off and powered up. "I think you've underestimated me, Rekhas," he said.

Rekhas took a step back in surprise. "What is this? I sense two powers!"

"That's because there are two powers," came a voice very much unlike Nail's from his mouth. "I, Guru, once the eldest Namek, have fused with my pupil, Nail.

"You no longer stand a chance, Rekhas. This is what you get for the crimes you've committed. There is no atonement for you."

"So, you have fused with Guru, then?" Rekhas said. "Fine. Maybe I did underestimate you. However, you will not win!" He then charged at Nail.

Nail jumped into the air. He then crashed down with a full-force kick. Rekhas hit the ground hard. Nail then flew down and barraged the Roxian emperor's back with a series of punches. He then backed away and launched an energy blast that caught Rekhas with its full force and it created an explosion. When the dust settled, however, Rekhas was on his feet.

Rekhas spit out some blood. "Congratulations. You are the first person to hurt me, aside from my parents. Such an alien sensation. One that does not befit the Supreme Ruler of the Universe!"

-42-

Piccolo watched the battle in front of him with surprise. He had not realized that fusing with Guru would give Nail such a tremendous increase in power. Still, he feared it would not be enough.

Piccolo then looked at the lights that Rekhas had activated. Supposedly, they were spreading radiation throughout the room. Piccolo strained his eyes and looked harder. He began to completely focus on the lights in question.

Suddenly, Piccolo's eyes went wide. He had realized that the source of the radiation was within the bulbs of the lights. He then looked over at the six Saiyans. They looked pretty weak, and all six of them had vomited already. Piccolo turned to Sephra and beckoned her over. Fortunately, Rekhas was too preoccupied with his battle against Nail to take notice.

"Sephra," Piccolo said with a hushed voice, "can you heal a person suffering from radiation sickness?"

"I don't know," Sephra whispered. "I can try, though. Why do you ask?"

"While Rekhas is preoccupied, I will destroy the lights that are emitting radiation," Piccolo explained. "Then, you go and heal the Saiyans. That way, Gohan will be able to enter the fight next, and nobody else will have to die."

"Are you sure Gohan can do this?" Sephra asked, worry spreading across her face.

"I see now," Piccolo said. "You care about him just as much as I do. I'm guessing that you two have been spending more time together than you let on." Sephra blushed. "Well, don't worry. Remember what the prophecy said: Gohan is capable of stopping Rekhas. I've known Gohan ever since he was just a toddler. Believe me, I'd rather take this burden of being 'Saoshyant' upon myself than leave it to him, but our fate is in good hands. You never met Goku, but I can assure you, when everything was at stake, he never lost. Like father, like son. Gohan will pull through. Now, will you do this?"

Sephra nodded. "Anything to help Gohan."

"All right," Piccolo said. "Wait about a minute after I destroy the radioactive lights. We can't risk Rekhas seeing your healing powers. Frieza had seen Dende's healing powers once, and . . . well, the result wasn't pretty. Now, stand back." Piccolo charged energy in each of his hands, then threw the energy at the two sets of radioactive lights. The two blasts hit their targets, destroying them.

-42-

Nail and Rekhas looked up from their fight when they heard the sound of shattering glass. They noticed that the lights had been destroyed.

"No!" Rekhas exclaimed. He then whipped around. "Piccolo, you devil! You destroyed the radium! Well, once I dispose of your kinsman here, you're next! Hey, wait. The Saiyans are too weakened to fight, and all of your other friends have been killed! You have no choice! HA HA HA!" Unfortunately for him, he completely forgot about his opponent, who punched him right in the back of the head, sending him flying headfirst into the dome. Nail then pulled out his mace and charged forward. However, Rekhas fired an energy blast at the mace, destroying it. Nail stopped and returned fire, pelting the Roxian with energy shots. Then, he charged up to Rekhas and knocked him into the ground. He then swung his hand and yelled, "Fissure!"

The ground beneath Rekhas opened up, and the hapless Roxian fell in. The fissure then closed, but Rekhas burst forth from the ground. "It's gonna take more than that to beat me!" he shouted and charged at Nail. Nail once again moved out of the way and grabbed Rekhas by the tail. He then began swinging him around rapidly, and he let go, propelling the Roxian at the floor. Rekhas bounced off of the floor and into the side of the dome.

Rekhas stabilized himself and landed on the ground. "Very impressive," he remarked. "I had no idea that you were this strong. However, it ends here. You see, I've been holding back. I've been using about five percent of my full power." He began to power up. "Let's see if you can handle my attack when I'm at twenty-five percent!"

Piccolo's eyes went wide with shock. _Oh, no! This is just like Frieza!_

Rekhas then eased up. "I am now at twenty-five percent of my full strength," he said. "Prepare to die!"

Nail flew forward, but Rekhas jumped up and dodged the attack. He then hit Nail in the back, causing Nail to fall back to the ground. He then backed up and fired an energy blast. The blast destroyed Nail.

Rekhas landed. "It looks like you are the only one left, Piccolo," he said.

Piccolo walked into the dome. "Like I didn't notice," he growled as he removed his cape and his turban. _Of course, he doesn't realize yet that Sephra can heal the Saiyans. Nor does he realize that I'm stronger than Nail, even after he has fused with Guru._ He then powered up. Within moments he was at his full power.

Rekhas laughed. "What makes you think you'll fare any better than your friend, Nail?"

"Why don't you attack me and find out what?" Piccolo responded.

Rekhas snarled and charged. Piccolo seemed to disappear and reappear behind Rekhas. He brought his fist into the back of Rekhas's head and knocked him away. Piccolo flew after him and brought his hands down on Rekhas's back. Rekhas flew into the floor. Piccolo began firing multiple energy blasts at Rekhas, and finished it up with a larger blast. When the dust that had been kicked up cleared away, Rekhas was still face-down on the floor. Piccolo brought his right index and middle fingers to his forehead and began to charge energy. When Rekhas got up, Piccolo pointed his fingers at him and yelled, "SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

Piccolo's attack flew through the air at Rekhas. The Roxian, however, watched emotionlessly. When the beam reached him, he used all four of his arms to turn the beam away. The beam hit the dome and exploded. Rekhas flew at Piccolo, but Piccolo dodged Rekhas once again and blasted him in the back with energy. Piccolo then waved his hand in front of him. "Shadow Sphere!"

A sphere of black energy formed in front of Piccolo. Piccolo grabbed the energy and threw it at Rekhas. The sphere exploded and left a black fog behind. Piccolo saw Rekhas fall out of the fog and fired an energy blast. Rekhas righted himself and deflected the blast. Piccolo flew into the fog and pulled out his axe. He then flew out and straight at Rekhas.

Rekhas had anticipated this. He jumped away, grabbed Piccolo's axe, and broke the handle over his knee. He then tossed the broken axe over his shoulder. Piccolo flew up and grabbed Rekhas by the leg. He then threw Rekhas into the dome wall. Rekhas righted himself in the air.

"Very impressive, Piccolo," Rekhas said. "You are much stronger than Nail. Now, let's see how you deal with me when I'm at fifty percent of my full power!" Rekhas began to power up. Within moments, he stopped. "Now, die!" He flew forward at Piccolo, this time too fast to follow. Rekhas grabbed Piccolo around the waist and drove him into the ground. He then backed up and fired an energy blast that destroyed Piccolo.

Rekhas landed with a triumphant look in his eyes. "Well, it seems that I have won. Everyone who could fight has been destroyed, the Saiyans are incapacitated with radiation sickness, and the two females can't do anything. Oh, well. I guess I'll wipe out all of the Saiyans, including the supposed 'Chosen One.'" He then waved his had across, hitting the Saiyans and kicking up dust. However, when the dust cleared, two Saiyans were on their feet. "What? How can this be?"

"Simple, Rekhas," Gohan responded. "We recovered. Now, you will pay for the deaths of our friends!"

Rekhas turned his attention to Vegeta, who also survived. Vegeta was staring at the space where Raditz, Broly, Ayn, and Trunks had been.

_No! This can't be! I've let it happen again! My son!_ Suddenly, Vegeta became a Super Saiyan. His anger had pushed up his power level without him realizing it.

Vegeta turned toward Rekhas. "REKHAS!!" he yelled with intense anger. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Ah, of course!" Rekhas said. "The lavender-haired youth was the future version of your son! Well, it certainly has given you a boost. Let's up the ante!" Suddenly, Rekhas fired an energy blast. This blast, however, was aimed in a different direction. A high-pitched shriek was heard as Bulma was engulfed by the blast.

Gohan whipped around. "BULMA!" He then turned to Rekhas. "You monster! You killed a helpless person!"

Vegeta looked in shock. _Bulma?! He killed her! I don't believe this! If only Sephra . . . no! Sephra isn't to blame! The only person to blame here . . . is me! I couldn't do anything! I should have gone right in! Then, the other Saiyans and Bulma would still be alive!_ He then looked at Rekhas, who had begun to laugh. _Rekhas!! He is to blame for everything! I . . . I . . . I . . ._ "RRAAAAAAAAAAGGGHHHHH!!!!"

Gohan threw his arms up to shield himself. _Vegeta's power has just gone off the chart!_ Gohan continued to watch, though. The spikes of Vegeta's hair seemed to stiffen, and his muscles seemed to become tense. Suddenly, Gohan felt a surge of power. Then, the wind around him began to die down. Vegeta was standing there, still a Super Saiyan . . . but something was different. Something that felt familiar . . . Then, Gohan noticed it. Vegeta's aura had begun to crackle with electricity. Vegeta had reached the next level.

Calmly, Vegeta walked forward. He entered the energy dome. "You . . . I'll never forgive you!" He stepped into a fighting pose.

Rekhas was curious but unimpressed. "Interesting. Your power level seems to have taken quite a jump. Now the fun really starts."

"No fun in this," Vegeta spat. "I will tear you limb . . . from . . . limb! You killed everyone else here! You will not survive! You will face your crimes, and I will be the judge, jury, and executioner! Prepare to meet your doom Rekhas! The gloves are off, and everything is on the line!" He charged at Rekhas. "Now, DIE!!!"


	43. Chapter FortyThree

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Three

Vegeta charged forward. Just as he was about to strike Rekhas, however, he vanished. Rekhas looked around for the Saiyan, but could not find him. Then, Rekhas was hit straight up into the ceiling. Vegeta flew upwards and pounded the Roxian emperor into the ceiling. He then grabbed Rekhas by the tail and threw him straight down. Vegeta charged after him, stopped just above him, and pounded the wind out of Rekhas with a series of constant punches. Vegeta jumped back and fired an energy blast, but Rekhas pulled a hip-up and jumped over it.

Rekhas stood in place, breathing heavily. A tiny stream of black blood leaked out of the corner of his mouth. "Not bad, Saiyan," he breathed. "But I bet you can't keep that up." He wiped the blood from his chin using the back of his hand. "Yes, you'll tire out after a few minutes."

"In a few minutes, you'll be dead!" Vegeta shouted. "And you'll spend the rest of eternity in Hell!"

"You'll have to spend the rest of your life in a personal Hell," Rekhas responded, " with the pain of surviving while your wife and the future form of your son did not."

"As if!" was Vegeta's response. "In this universe, there are things called Dragon Balls. When all seven are gathered together, a dragon is summoned and will grant wishes. All we need to do is travel back to Earth or to Namek and everything will be fine!"

Gohan's eyes widened. He knew the severity of the situation. "Vegeta! You shouldn't have told him that!"

Rekhas laughed. "The kid's right, Vegeta. You've just upped the ante. You see, when I'm through with you two, I'll use these Dragon Balls to make myself a god!"

Vegeta's eyes widened for a moment. Then, he returned to his scowl. "I don't have to worry! You see, I'll kill you here so you'll never get to use the Dragon Balls!" With that, he charged forward again. Vegeta began to move so fast that he was creating after-images, and made it appear as if he were flying straight at Rekhas. The Roxian emperor swung a fist, and found it to only be an after-image. Then Vegeta himself brought his hands down on the back of Rekhas's head. Rekhas was knocked into the floor while Vegeta hovered upward. He then shot his right hand out and yelled, "Fire Pillar!" A small spark came from Vegeta's hand and hit the ground next to Rekhas. When it hit, a giant column of flame erupted straight up. Rekhas managed to get out, but Vegeta could see a couple of burns. This gave him an idea. Instead of using his magic to create fire, he would try something else. He opened his palms and let heat flow from his hands. He clenched his fists and could still feel the heat coming from them. _With his burns, Rekhas will be weak to heat! So, I'll just turn it up a little - literally!_

Rekhas glared at Vegeta. "You will pay for that. The pain that these burns cause me will be dealt to you tenfold!"

Vegeta just stared back at Rekhas. _That's it. Keep stalling, Rekhas. Every minute wasted will sway the fight in my favor._

Rekhas stayed in his spot, daring Vegeta to attack. _What a fool. He has no idea what I'm doing. Well, I'm not going to initiate an attack._

"What are you waiting for?" Rekhas shouted. Vegeta showed no sign of recognition and continued to bleed heat into the air. "Come on!" Rekhas shouted, but once again Vegeta did not respond. "You're testing my patience, Saiyan!"

"Do you really think I'd attack when you tell me to?" Vegeta asked. "I'm not as stupid as you look."

"Arrgh! That's it! Now I'm mad!" Rekhas shouted and charged forward.

Vegeta grinned. _That's what I was hoping for._ Vegeta moved quickly out of the way of the attack, and reappeared behind Rekhas. The Roxian emperor swung his fist at the Saiyan king, but Vegeta dodged it with ease. Rekhas then turned himself around fully, and let loose with all four fists. Vegeta was too quick, however, and dodged every punch thrown at him. Dropping down, Vegeta planted his left foot into Rekhas's armored stomach. While not breaking the armor, it had enough force to send the emperor flying into the wall of the dome. Rekhas pulled himself away from the dome and charged once again at Vegeta. This time, however, he stopped short and fired a volley of energy blasts. The blasts headed toward a seemingly still Vegeta, but they went right through him. Vegeta had been moving faster than the eye could see.

-43-

Gohan watched the battle intently. He had no knowledge of what the Saiyan king was doing, so to him, it looked like Vegeta was merely toying with Rekhas. Gohan knew that to be a dangerous move, since Rekhas was only fighting at half power. If Vegeta didn't finish off the Roxian emperor soon, he could reach full strength and overwhelm the Saiyan king. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his arm. Gohan turned around and saw Sephra.

"You're still here?" Gohan asked. "You should have left."

Sephra shook her head. "I can't leave, remember? Besides, I wouldn't leave you guys if I had a choice. I care about each and every one of you too much to abandon you."

Gohan frowned. "But the fighting here is dangerous. I know that there is a dome surrounding Rekhas and Vegeta right now, but if Vegeta were to be defeated, Rekhas would probably eliminate the dome since I'd be the only fighter left."

Sephra nodded. "I know," she said. "But when the dome goes down, I can heal you if you get injured."

"But Rekhas would see you and kill you," Gohan responded. "I gave your father my word that I would protect you."

Sephra bit her lip. "Right."

Gohan looked at Sephra with a sudden expression of concern. "Hey. You scared?"

Sephra nodded. "I'm sure I look weak to a battle veteran like yourself."

"Not at all," replied the young half-Saiyan. "Every time I walk onto the battlefield, I'm scared. Don't get bravery and fearlessness confused. Everyone experiences fear. It's the brave ones who face their fears. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid right now. After seeing what that tyrant did to my friends, I'm plenty afraid. I'm even afraid for Vegeta right now. And if he falls, I know I'm all on my own. But I know what I need to do if that happens. I've faced my fears on many occasions - such as fighting Nappa, Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell - and I've come out alive. I just focus on what I need to do, and I'll be fine."

Sephra continued to watch the battle overhead. Then she suddenly turned to Gohan. "Um, Gohan, may I ask you a favor?"

Gohan looked back at Sephra. "What's up?"

"Can you . . . Will you hold my hand?" Sephra asked, turning red.

Gohan's own cheeks flushed, but nonetheless, he smiled. "Sure," he responded as he intertwined his fingers with those of the Gabrian princess.

-43-

Rekhas threw punch after punch, but Vegeta continued to dodge them with minimal effort. Rekhas was getting angrier and angrier. "RRRAAAAAAAGGGHH! WHY DO MY PUNCHES ALWAYS MISS YOU!"

Vegeta responded to the Roxian emperor by diving down and sinking his fist into his stomach. "Because I'm just that good," he casually remarked. Jumping up, he caught Rekhas with a kick to the side of the head. The tyrant was sent flying into the dome.

Using his glove, Vegeta wiped his brow, which had become moist with sweat. _Why am I sweating? It's not like I'm trying. Wait! Of course! The room is finally heating up!_

Rekhas slowly climbed to his feet. From the way the lights were shining on him, Vegeta could tell that he was sweating as well. It also appeared that the villain was in pain.

Rekhas stared at the burn on his arms. "Urgh . . . why is it . . . so hot . . . in here?"

"I'll show you why!" Vegeta shouted as he charged. He pulled his fist back and it became engulfed in flames. He then drove the fist into the burn on Rekhas's arm, causing him to scream out in intense pain. He then kicked Rekhas in the stomach, sending him flying into the throne. Vegeta then backed up into the air and spread out his arms and legs. The Saiyan king's power level continued to rise, and a sphere of energy formed in each hand. He then brought his arms forward.

"FINAL FLASH!"

A massive beam of energy erupted forth from Vegeta's hands and shot straight at Rekhas. The blast hit the throne and exploded, engulfing the entire area in bright light and dust. Vegeta let his arms down and waited for the dust to clear. When it did, clear, however, Vegeta was greeted with an unusual, yet unsettling, sight. Rekhas was still standing. Now, however, he was wearing what appeared to be a scuba kit.

"You are a fool, Vegeta," Rekhas said through the breathing mask. "You hit me just where I needed to go! This breathing apparatus contains oxygen refined from the fission process of the krypton! Now watch this!"

Rekhas began taking several deep breaths. As he did so, the burns on his body healed completely. He then removed the apparatus. "You see, radiation gives us unbelievable abilities! Now, to deal with this heat." He snapped his fingers and a large vent opened overhead. The temperature dropped quickly, and was soon back at room temperature level.

"All right, I'm done humoring you," Rekhas remarked. "Not even you are strong enough to justify me using my full strength against you. You may be able to handle me now, but you will not be able to defeat me when I am using three-quarters of my full strength!" An aura of green energy surrounded the emperor as he began to power up.

Vegeta crossed his arms and watched. He would wait until Rekhas was done powering up and then finish the fight. Then, he heard Gohan's voice:

"Vegeta! Attack him while he's powering up!"

Vegeta spun around to face Gohan. "No! I'm going to let him power up as he sees fit! That way, when I beat him, he will know who the better fighter truly is!"

"No, Vegeta!" Gohan shouted. "You're making the same mistake I did with Cell! If you wait, you'll be playing into his hand!"

"Look, Gohan, I know what I'm doing!" Vegeta shouted. He looked Gohan directly in the eyes.

Gohan gasped. He knew what Vegeta was going to do. "No, Vegeta! You don't have to go through with this!"

Remaining silent, Vegeta turned away from the young man. _Unbelievable. I just can't believe I'm doing this. I, the king of all Saiyans, am sacrificing myself to aid a young adult. But times change, and people change with time._

The green light died down. "I am now at seventy-five percent of my full power," Rekhas said. "Prepare to die!"

Rekhas cut right to it and fired a large energy blast from his hands. Vegeta braced for impact and took the blast head-on. He began to struggle with it, as he was pushed closer and closer to the wall of the dome. Rekhas added more power, accelerating the rate at which Vegeta was reaching the wall. Then, Vegeta launched the blast up at an angle, away from him. The blast went through the dome and broke through the ceiling, causing rubble to fall.

"YEEEK!"

Gohan, Vegeta, and Rekhas all turned toward the sound. Sephra had been hit by some of the rubble and was lying on the ground. Gohan rushed over.

"Sephra!" Gohan shouted. "Oh, no, Sephra! Please be all right!" Gohan shook her gently, but she did not stir. Gohan then placed his index and middle fingers on the Gabrian princess's neck and found a pulse. "Okay, good. She's still alive. She's just unconscious."

Rekhas looked at Vegeta, who seemed terribly worn out by the last attack. "Well, Vegeta, looks like I won't be able to blast you into oblivion. Consider yourself lucky." He then lifted a finger and shot a beam right through Vegeta's chest. "Or not! Bwahahahaha!"

"VEGETA!" Gohan yelled as Vegeta fell to the ground. The force carried the king back several feet, and the dome deactivated. Vegeta hit the ground and Gohan ran up to him.

Gohan looked at the wound. "OK. It's not that bad. We'll get Sephra to heal you up right away."

"No . . ." Vegeta said. "It won't help . . . I'm done for . . . again . . . This is the same way . . . that Frieza killed me . . ."

Gohan hesitated. Vegeta was right. "Gah. I couldn't help. I'm not strong enough."

Vegeta looked at Gohan, puzzlement in his eyes. "Not strong enough? Don't be foolish. Gohan, you're stronger than all of us put together. Besides, you have the ability to beat Rekhas. Remember, the prophecy . . ."

"Yes, but the prophecy only said that I was the only one who could beat him. It never said that I would."

"Gohan . . .You are Saoshyant," Vegeta said before breaking into a coughing fit. A small bit of blood dribbled from his mouth. "You are the reincarnated savior. You can, and you will, do this."

"I don't understand, though," Gohan said. "When you died on Namek, you were mourning for yourself. Now, you're trying to help me."

"That's because I was dying with regrets," the king answered. "Now, my only regret is that I have but one life to give to help protect the universe."

Gohan looked down. "I don't know if I can do it," he murmured.

"Yes you can," Vegeta breathed. "If you ever feel helpless, you must remember. You are a Saiyan. Even though your human blood prevents you from having a battle lust, you still have the aptitude for fighting that comes with all Saiyans."

"Yes," Gohan said. "You're right. I am a Saiyan. I may not like to fight, but at least I can."

Vegeta reached down with his right hand for something. "Gilgamesh . . . I need Gilgamesh . . ."

Gohan grabbed the hilt of Vegeta's sword and pulled it out of its scabbard. He then placed it in Vegeta's hand. Feebly, the Saiyan king lifted it up and placed it on Gohan's shoulder. "I now proclaim you Sir Gohan, captain of the Saiyan Royal Knights."

Gohan was surprised. He didn't know what else to say. "So, I have been knighted. I am honored. Thank you."

"Don't thank me . . ." Vegeta responded. "You've done more than enough to help me. Just do one more thing. Win. You . . . must . . . win . . ." Vegeta's eyelids then drooped and his neck muscles relaxed.

Gohan stood up, tears silently rolling down his cheeks. He picked up Vegeta's lifeless body and brought it over to the edge of the room. "Vegeta . . . You truly did become a good person. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. This I swear."

Rubbing his glove against his cheeks, Gohan looked up. Slowly, he turned around to face Rekhas. One step at a time, he made his way to his archenemy. No sound was made except for the tapping sound that Gohan's boots made as he walked. The tension in the air was so thick that it could be cut with a knife.

The battle to decide the fate of the universe was about to begin.


	44. Chapter FortyFour

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've received some feedback about when the next chapter would be posted. Please understand that I am now in college and have less time to write. Also, I've had writer's block for a little while now, but hopefully that's over with. Just be patient, as chapters may take some additional time to update. Now, the story.

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Four

Gohan stopped several feet away from Rekhas, his fists clenched. In the blink of an eye, he was a Super Saiyan. The strength flowing from his visible aura was generating obscene amounts of wind.

"You know, Rekhas," Gohan began, "you made a big mistake in saving me for last."

This caught Rekhas's attention. "What are you talking about?" he sneered.

"You see, now I can fight at full power without having to worry about the safety of my friends," Gohan answered. He then pressed his power level up and let out a yell. The spikes of hair on his head stood straight up, save for a lock of his bangs, and his aura began to crackle with electricity.

Rekhas laughed. "You are a fool. Vegeta was at the same stage, remember? You will pose little problem."

"We'll see," Gohan responded coldly.

"Indeed we will!" Rekhas shouted as he charged. The very moment he reached the youth, however, Gohan vanished. Rekhas stopped, looking around. "All right, boy, where are you?" In response, Gohan reappeared right behind Rekhas and caught him in the head with a right hook. Rekhas skidded to the left, pushed off the ground, and landed on his feet. Then, he felt a blow. He looked at his opponent, but Gohan was still standing about twenty feet away. Then, it happened again. Rekhas took a step back, but was knocked off his feet. "What is going on?"

"I'm attacking," Gohan responded. "I figured that much would be obvious."

"You . . . " Rekhas began. "You make a mockery of me? The future ruler of all that lives?"

"You seem to think highly of yourself," Gohan responded. "Egotistical much?" Then, three more invisible blows were landed on Rekhas. "From the way you talk-" Gohan attacked again - "I'd say that you need to be humbled." He then attacked once more, sending Rekhas into the wall.

Rekhas pulled himself from the wall. "Well, it would pose a problem if I were to fight you at my current strength," he stated. He then planted his feet apart and brought his fists up. "You should feel honored. Never has a fighter forced me to use my full power. I'm actually excited at the prospect of fighting you with all of my might. However, what I feel must be nothing compared to your Saiyan thirst for battle. Foolish, really. You Saiyans always search for the ultimate challenge, and you always end up getting yourselves killed. How path-UGH!" Gohan had taken the opportunity provided by Rekhas's monologue to land a punch in the emperor's gut.

"You talk too much," Gohan commented. He then backed up. "I'll allow you to reach full power, but after that, I'll give you no quarter."

Rekhas laughed. "Boy, you are signing your own death warrant!" His power level then took a jump.

Gohan watched patiently as Rekhas powered up. The emperor's muscles began to bulge, and he grew a couple inches. As he was watching, he heard someone say inside his head, 'Gohan! What are you doing? You can't let him reach full power!' Gohan stayed silent. 'Listen, Gohan, I know you can hear me! If you keep ignoring me, I'm gonna start telling jokes until you answer! And I've got a lot of them!' Still, Gohan remained silent. 'All right, but I warned you! If an athlete gets athlete's foot, what does an astronaut get?'

'All right, all right, I hear you!' Gohan responded.

'What do you think you're doing!' King Kai exclaimed. 'You can't let Rekhas reach his full power!'

'King Kai, name one enemy we've defeated before he reached full power,' Gohan said in response.

'That's beside the point!' King Kai answered. 'What I'm trying to say-'

'That's the entire point, King Kai,' Gohan explained. 'Never have we been able to beat someone until they were at full power. King Piccolo, Piccolo, Raditz, Nappa, Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, Frieza, the androids, and Cell. Each time, both sides were forced to go all out. Remember what happened when my father hit Frieza with the Spirit Bomb when Frieza was at fifty percent of his full strength? Frieza survived. I don't want to take that chance. If I can fight him when he's at full power, we'll know once and for all who is the stronger.'

King Kai sighed. 'Well, I hope for the universe's sake that you know what you're doing, Gohan. I can do nothing but watch. It's all in your hands.'

Rekhas opened his eyes. "Well, boy, your time has come," he said. "I am now at full power."

"Good, I was growing tired of waiting," Gohan replied. He disappeared and reappeared on Rekhas's left side, aiming a punch at his head. Quickly, Rekhas raised his forearm to block it. Gohan threw another punch, which was again blocked. Rekhas then threw a punch at Gohan, who dodged it and blocked a second punch thrown by the emperor. Rekhas flew up and away, and Gohan flew towards him. Right when he was about to reach the Roxian, however, Gohan disappeared. He reappeared right behind Rekhas and landed a punch into his back, knocking him flying. Rekhas stabilized himself and charged straight at Gohan. He came feet-first to deliver a kick, but Gohan threw his forearms up and blocked it, only being knocked back about a foot. Gohan dived at Rekhas with a punch, but Rekhas dodged out of the way and countered by bringing his knee up into the Saiyan's solar plexus. Reflexively, Gohan curled up and clutched his chest. Rekhas took the opportunity to kick Gohan in the side of the head and knock him halfway across the room. Gohan swung around and used his legs to push off the opposite wall, and jumped back toward Rekhas with an arm cocked back. Rekhas prepared himself, but instead of punching, Gohan swung his legs around and kicked him in the head. Rekhas flew down at an angle and hit the ground. Gohan dropped straight down and landed.

A trickle of blood seeped from Rekhas's mouth. "You're better than I thought," he said as he wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I can say the same for you," Gohan replied, rubbing the side of his head gently. "But there's more than meets the eye with me."

Rekhas laughed. "I don't know about that, but I can say that that is most definitely the case with me." Then, the Roxian fired an energy blast. Gohan leaped up to dodge it, and Rekhas fired another energy blast. Gohan moved to the side in order to dodge it again. Rekhas then began firing rapidly at the young Saiyan. Gohan, however, was able to keep dodging.

Rekhas laughed again. "You fell right into my trap! Look around you! You're in a corner of the room! Now, feel the wrath of my next attack!" The emperor brought his upper hands together in front of him. "SHOTGUN!"

A blast flew out that burst into a large amount of smaller blasts and flew toward Gohan. Looking around, Gohan was unable to find an escape route. He did not panic, though; he calmed himself, closed his eyes, and concentrated. He then disappeared just as the Shotgun Attack hit.

Rekhas looked at where the attack had hit. When the dust cleared, however, he was surprised to find that Gohan was not there. "What happened? I know he could have survived that." He looked around, but could not find his opponent anywhere. Then, an energy blast caught him in the back and exploded. When the dust settled, Rekhas found himself lying on his stomach in a giant dent in the floor. He looked up and saw Gohan with his right palm outstretched, and his left hand on his right elbow. "What the . . .?"

"I see you like my Magnum Burst," Gohan commented. "I developed it specifically for this fight."

"How . . . how did you escape my attack?" Rekhas uttered in disbelief.

"Luck, pure and simple," Gohan bluffed. He was not going to risk telling Rekhas about Instant Transmission. He then powered up another attack in his hand. "Magnum Burst!"

A sphere of energy burst forward from Gohan's hand and flew toward Rekhas. The emperor jumped up into the air, but was not fast enough to outrun the explosion.

Gohan floated in the air, watching his opponent. Then, the strengthening of someone else's energy caught his attention. He looked down at the pile of rubble. _Sephra! She's awake? This could be bad._ However, he was no longer paying attention to Rekhas, who took the opportunity to land a punch in Gohan's face.

"What's wrong with you, boy?" Rekhas laughed. "Didn't your dear old dad teach you to never let your opponent out of sight?" Gohan flew back into a wall, and Rekhas followed, landing punch after punch into Gohan's chest. He then grabbed the warrior by the hair and landed a downward punch, sending him into the ground. Rekhas let loose a barrage of energy blasts while Gohan was on the ground. When the dust cleared, Gohan could be seen lying on the floor. Slowly, he got up.

_What's wrong here? I've taken too much damage to make sense. Maybe he wasn't bluffing about having hidden potential._ Gohan looked up at Rekhas and clenched his teeth. _Well, I'd better finish him off quickly, and I can think of one way to do that._ Gohan dashed upwards and gave Rekhas a roundhouse kick to the head. Rekhas flew sideways, and Gohan chased him and knocked him down. Rekhas was able to stabilize himself in the air, but Gohan was already preparing his attack.

Gohan brought his hands together and pulled them back. "Kaaa . . . Meee . . ."

Rekhas began laughing. "Nice bluff, boy, but I'm not buying it. At that angle, you'll destroy the planet and yourself with it!"

Gohan ignored the emperor. "Haaa . . ." The space in between his hands began to glow. "Meee . . ."

Rekhas's eyes widened. "You've lost your mind! Stop, or you'll kill us both!"

Gohan then paused for a moment to focus. Suddenly, he vanished.

Rekhas looked around. "What? Where did he go this time?" He then spun around and found himself face-to-face with his opponent. "IMPOSSIBLE!"

"HAAAAAAAA!"

The blast enveloped Rekhas and burst through the wall of the room. Gohan directed it away from the planet's surface and it flew harmlessly into space. Gohan ended the blast, breathing heavily, and waited for the dust to clear. When it did clear, what he saw shocked him. Rekhas was still alive. His lower arms were reduced to stumps, and his left leg had been destroyed, leaving him to balance himself on his right leg and his tail.

"I must give you credit, boy," Rekhas grunted through the pain. "That was a brilliant strategy. I now know how you dodged my Shotgun Attack. That teleportation technique."

"Strange, how you're talking like you can still win," Gohan remarked. "You're crippled. You've lost two arms and a leg."

"Well, you're not in good shape, either," Rekhas said. "I may not be able to sense energy like you, but I can still tell that you put most of it into that last attack. Whereas I will recover."

"Nice bluff, but it's not working," Gohan said. "You're no Namekian. You can't regenerate at will."

Rekhas laughed as he backed up to his throne. "Well, you're right about one thing. On my own, I can't regenerate my lost limbs. He then grabbed the life support system and strapped it on. In a matter of seconds, his arms and leg regrew themselves. Also, Gohan realized with dread, that the Roxian's power level was back at full power.

Rekhas took the life support off. "Well, boy, any chance you once had of defeating me has gone out the window." With that, he charged at Gohan.

-44-

Sephra looked up. She could see the fight going on. As she watched, Rekhas was attacking Gohan relentlessly. Sephra was able to sense their energy even while unconscious, and she knew that Gohan was in dire straits. She knew of one thing that would work, but it would be difficult to pull off. She focused her thoughts on the Saiyan. 'Gohan!'

Gohan perked up. 'Sephra?'

'Yes, it's me,' Sephra responded. 'I have limited telepathic abilities. Now listen. If you can temporarily incapacitate Rekhas, I will be able to heal you.'

'Incapacitate Rekhas? Easier said than done,' Gohan replied.

'Well, there's got to be something you can do,' Sephra wondered.

Gohan thought for a moment, then replied, 'Now that I think about it, there is something I can do. Let's just hope it works. Oh, and shield your eyes.'

-44-

A few minutes later, Gohan was in very bad shape. He was lying face-up on the ground, and he had reverted back to his normal form. Rekhas was floating above him, crowing in triumph. He then looked down at his battered opponent. "Well, boy, it's time to meet your maker!" With that, he dived.

Gohan grinned weakly. _Just what I had been hoping for._ Summoning what little strength he had left, he brought his hands to his forehead and yelled, "SOLAR FLARE!"

Light burst forth from Gohan, blinding Rekhas. "MY EYES! MY EYES!"

Gohan climbed to all fours. He lifted himself into the air and floated over to Sephra's location. He then collapsed, as he had drained his energy.

Quickly, Sephra went to work. She placed her hand on Gohan's head and waves of healing energy flowed forth into Gohan's body. Slowly, he felt his energy returning to him.

-44-

Rekhas pulled his hands away from his eyes and dared to open them. Everything was extremely blurry at first, but as he blinked, his vision slowly returned to him. He looked around for Gohan, and found him on the ground with Sephra leaning over him. Then, slowly, Gohan got up. He inspected himself and found himself to be at full power, and a little stronger than he was a few minutes ago.

Rekhas's eyes widened in surprise. _How is this possible?_ He then looked at Sephra. _Wait a second. She's a Gabrian, isn't she? I'd wager my ancestry that she's a healer. Well, she cannot be allowed to live._ Rekhas fired a narrow shot from his finger - much like the one that he used to kill Vegeta - and struck Sephra in the chest.

Gohan heard a shriek. He looked over to find a beam of energy going through the princess's chest. "SEPHRA!" He dashed over and caught her as she fell.

Sephra focused her large blue eyes on Gohan. "Gohan . . . I'm sorry that I couldn't do more . . ."

Tears began to form in the corners of Gohan's eyes. "Sephra, don't die . . ."

"I'm sorry, Gohan, but nothing can stop that now . . ." Sephra responded. "I'm . . . just happy I got to know you . . ."

"Sephra, there's something I wanted to tell you," Gohan said as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Sephra . . . I don't know how to say this, but . . . Sephra - _I love you._"

Sephra's eyes widened, and then she smiled faintly. "Ah, Gohan . . . I'm so happy to hear you say that . . . I love you, as well."

Gohan lifted Sephra's head up, leaned forward, and touched his lips to hers. After a few seconds, they broke apart.

Sephra giggled. "That was my first kiss . . ."

Gohan looked surprised at himself. "Mine, too. But it was still good."

Sephra looked up at the ceiling. "Well, now I can rest in peace . . . Goodbye, my love . . ." Her eyelids drooped and closed, and her body went limp.

The tears continued to roll down Gohan's face. "No . . . this can't be . . . I promised . . . I promised . . ." He laid Sephra's body down gently. "It should have been me . . ." He then looked up at the ceiling. "NOOOOOOO!"

"Well, Gohan, are you done with your pity party? Then let's go!" Rekhas shouted.

Gohan heard that voice and anger boiled within him. He turned to face Rekhas, hate burning in his eyes. "You . . . you're a monster. You kill everyone who isn't a Roxian. You kill men. You kill defenseless women. Even children are not spared. You are why this all has happened. You killed my friends, my allies. You even killed the person I love. And now, you have awoken within me the one force that has never been stopped. My anger. You will not be spared. You will die. You hear me? You will die!" He reached over with his right hand and grabbed the hilt of the legendary blade at his hip. He held Testament out in front of him, with his left leg back and his left arm curled and his hand balled into a fist.

Rekhas looked at his opponent. _Well, I was wondering when he'd draw that infernal sword._ "That stance . . . it's familiar. Yes, that was the same stance that Lucius took when he engaged in battle." Rekhas floated back down to his throne. "Well, now the real fun begins. You see, I also have a weapon." He pulled a sheathed sword from behind his throne and attached it to his own belt. He then drew his sword. It looked eerily similar to Testament, except that the blade was blue rather than black.

Gohan's eyes widened. "What in the world . . .?"

Rekhas laughed. "This is the antithesis to Asok's Bane. This sword is known as Ifrit. It has many similar properties to Asok's Bane, but rather than having a blade made of iron, it is made of neptunium. A particular isotope, in fact, that has a half-life of several million years. That, and the nullification ability of Asok's Bane, keep you from succumbing to the radiation." He then walked forward and took his own fighting stance.

"Well, I actually prefer it this way," Gohan said. "At least you'll put up a decent fight before I kill you. Funny, really. I've never felt this feeling before. But I like the challenge."

Rekhas laughed. "That's your Saiyan side, boy. You seem to have come to terms with it. Oh, well. It should make the fight more interesting."

Neither fighter moved for a moment, but rather stared into each other's eyes. Everything was on the table now.

Gohan jumped forward, his sword ready to strike, as Rekhas waited.


	45. Chapter 45

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Five

"Heeeeeeeyyy sports fans!" the sports newscaster shouted. "It's time for the highlights of the week! First, there's a new world record! Say hello to the man who can hold more weight on his shoulders than any other person alive! It's MR. SATAN!"

Ox-King sighed. "Why is he even in the sports highlights, anyway? Besides, that's a joke compared to what Gohan can do!"

Chi-chi walked by, and upon seeing who was on television, groaned. Ever since Hercule Satan had taken credit for defeating Cell, she had held him in contempt. The only way she would be willing to forgive him is if he confessed and told the world who _really_ killed Cell.

Suddenly, during the middle of one of Mr. Satan's trademark yells, the screen went on the fritz. "What in the world?" Chi-chi wondered aloud. "This TV is barely three months old, and it hasn't done this before! What's wrong?"

-45-

Master Roshi stood on the stoop of his house, staring out toward the ocean. Even though his eyes were hidden by a pair of large, red-rimmed sunglasses, it was easy to tell that he had a stern expression on his face.

Tortoise emerged from the water and shuffled up to his old friend. "Master Roshi, what's the matter?"

"Far away, I can sense two powers," Master Roshi replied. "These powers are like nothing the universe has ever felt before, though. Nobody in the long, long history of the universe could have ever had this much strength."

"Is it Gohan?" Tortoise asked.

"One of them is, yes," the old hermit responded. "This time, though, it's no scuffle. Feels like Gohan is confronting destiny. However, there's something else I'm worried about."

"What's that, Master?" the sea turtle asked.

"I can no longer sense either Krillin or Yamcha," Roshi answered. "I fear they've been killed. I think Gohan may be all alone in hostile territory, now."

-45-

Dr. Briefs emerged from his workshop and looked out into the distance. "Something doesn't seem right, Kitty," he said to the small black creature on his shoulder. "I could tell there was an electrical disturbance from my workshop. I don't know what it could be."

-45-

Mr. Popo rushed out of the building atop the lookout. "Dende!" He found the young Namekian standing on the edge of the lookout.

"So you feel it, too, Mr. Popo?" Dende asked. "Well, at any rate, all we can do is put our trust in Gohan."

"I hate to say it, but I agree," came a voice from the side.

Dende looked over. "Korin? You came up?"

"Well, I wanted some more space," Korin responded. "Plus, the energy that Gohan and his opponent are putting out is giving me goose bumps. Besides, I didn't want to share the stress with Mr. Fat-and-Loud."

"Hey, I heard that!" came a voice from the side. Yajirobe then emerged and climbed onto the floor.

"You're not worried in the least, are you?" Korin said to him.

"Of course not!" Yajirobe replied. "Out of sight, out of mind!" Korin sighed.

-45-

King Kai frowned. "Well, it seems that both Gohan and Rekhas are finally getting serious," he commented.

Goku sat down on the ground next to his former instructor. "Yeah. I can feel it, too. The energy put out by their swords . . . it's just eerie."

-45-

Gohan thrust his sword straight at Rekhas, but the Roxian deflected the jab with his own sword. Gohan then whipped Testament around and swung it right at his opponent's head, but Rekhas again brought Ifrit up to block it. Repeatedly, Gohan attacked by swinging horizontally, swinging vertically, stabbing, anything he could think of with the blade, but Rekhas was able to either block or dodge every strike.

Gohan jumped back. _He's more skilled than I thought._

"Is that all you can do, boy?" Rekhas said. "And here I was, expecting a challenge . . ."

"Oh, you'll get your challenge," Gohan replied. "Believe me."

"We'll see about that!" Rekhas shouted as he leaped at Gohan. Rekhas attacked with a wide horizontal swing aimed at Gohan's neck, but Gohan ducked. Rekhas then tried a vertical slash, but Gohan raised Testament up to deflect the blow. Rekhas began attacking left and right with Ifrit, but Gohan showed not even the slightest trouble in blocking or dodging his opponent's attacks.

Now it was Rekhas's turn to jump back. "Well, it seems I've underestimated you," he stated.

"Like I said," Gohan replied, "I'll give you a challenge if you want it." However, he did not move from his current spot.

"What are you waiting for?" Rekhas asked.

"Just thinking, that's all," Gohan responded.

Rekhas scowled. "Well, think about THIS!" He charged forward and brought Ifrit down at Gohan.

Gohan grinned. He raised Testament up in the air to block the strike, ducked in, and landed a solid punch to Rekhas's gut. Rekhas curled up, clutching his stomach, while Gohan brought Testament down. However, Rekhas moved to the right, and Gohan only succeeded in slicing off the corner of Rekhas's shoulder plate.

Rekhas relaxed his muscles. "Clever. Very clever. But too bad, since you won't be able to do it again!" Rekhas then launched himself at Gohan. The young half-Saiyan, however, opted not to use his blade to block. Instead, he lifted his fist up to shoulder level and closed his eyes.

Rekhas laughed. "Giving up so soon? Come on!"

"If you're counting on me giving up," Gohan muttered, "you're sadly mistaken." Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he thrust his fist forward. "Light Ray!"

A sphere of light emerged from Gohan's hand and floated in front of him. The sphere sat there for a moment, doing nothing. Then, the sphere of light started blasting out rays of light in a cone-like pattern. Rekhas came to a halt just as the rays hit. Each ray of light left a stinging welt where it made contact with the Roxian's body. Finally, the rays stopped and the sphere dissolved.

Rekhas floated in the air, in obvious pain. "Unbelievable . . . the boy is also a light mage? I never would have thought to encounter one in real life . . ."

Gohan frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Light mages are extremely rare," Rekhas said. "Just as rare are the dark mages. Most mages follow the traditional elements." The welts all over the Roxian's body faded away. "And you gave me enough time to heal myself!"

Gohan clenched his teeth. _How could I have fallen for that? Piccolo's done it enough that I'd know that trick!_ However, at the same time, Gohan had been allowed some time to think. _Well, there's one thing I can do that he can't!_ He held his sword out in front of him, with the point of the blade facing Rekhas. As he did so, he could feel the energy accumulating in the blade. The grooves along the blade began to glow, and Gohan yelled, "Tear Blast!"

A beam of pure energy burst forth from the blade of Testament and flew at Rekhas. However . . .

"Tear Blast!"

Another beam emerged, this one from Ifrit. The two beams collided in midair and exploded, canceling each other out.

Gohan's eyes were wide with shock. "What? How . . . how could you do that?"

Rekhas laughed. "Seems that someone doesn't know everything about his opponent. I, on the other hand, knew from the beginning about Testament's Tear Blast ability. However, Ifrit also has the Tear Blast! Also, Ifrit's Tear Blast is more powerful than Testament's Tear Blast! You were lucky that you caught me off guard, otherwise you'd be in a world of hurt!"

_This is ridiculous! He can match me not only move for move in swordplay, but he can surpass me with his sword's ability!_ Gohan was running out of options, and quickly. He had used up all of his surprise maneuvers, and without them, Rekhas had the upper hand. Then, Gohan heard a voice.

_Not yet. You are not out of options just yet._

Gohan looked around the room to find who spoke. It took him a moment to realize what was happening. _It's the spirit of my ancestor within the sword!_ Gohan heard no other voice after that, but he saw a flashback.

-45-

_Gohan pointed Testament at Cell. "Tear Blast!" A beam of energy came from the blade and shot at Cell, but Cell jumped up to avoid it. Gohan tried another Tear Blast, but Cell evaded that one also. Cell managed to evade every Tear Blast that Gohan used._

_"This isn't working!" Gohan said to himself. "If only I could fire at a faster rate . . ." Then, Gohan saw an image in his head that showed him what to do. He focused his energy into the sword, pointed it at Cell, and shouted, "Ray Disaster!" This time, the blast emerged more quickly and hit Cell dead on. Then, a second blast was fired, even before the first blast had dissipated. The attack engulfed Cell, and destroyed every last cell of his being._

-45-

Realization dawned upon Gohan. _I completely forgot!_ Once again, he held Testament out in front of him. Like before, the grooves in the blade began to glow.

Rekhas laughed. "You're a fool! You're trying that again?" Rekhas held Ifrit in a similar manner, and the grooves began to glow in his blade as well.

"Oh, this is different," Gohan replied. "RAY DISASTER!"

A beam fired from Gohan's sword. Rekhas laughed. "The only difference here is the name! TEAR BLAST!"

Again, the two attacks collided. Then, more energy burst forth from Testament, which gave the attack enough energy to send both attacks flying at Rekhas.

"WHAT?" Rekhas yelled. "HOW?"

Gohan maintained his stance. Soon enough, the blast hit Rekhas, and the Roxian emperor began to scream in agony. Gohan noticed something drop, but paid it no mind.

"YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE LAST OF ME!" Rekhas screamed. Then, there was silence, and Gohan could no longer sense his opponent's presence. However, the blast did not stop. It flew downward at an angle, and made impact with the surface of the planet. The surface began to quake violently, and Gohan's eyes widened.

"Oh, no! That blast is going to destroy the entire planet!" Gohan blasted a hole in the castle wall and flew out. He flew as fast as he could toward the location of the ship as the Roxian imperial castle collapsed behind him. He came upon the ship and flew in. He made his way to the bridge and got behind the pilot's controls. He punched in the launching sequence, and the ship took off.

Once outside the atmosphere, Gohan looked out the window at the planet Roxia. Rays of light began shooting out of the planet's surface, and massive cracks formed in the crust. The planet seemed to inflate, then exploded in a burst of light. The ship reached super-luminous velocity quickly, and Gohan leaned back in the chair, drifting off to sleep.

-45-

NOTE: I apologize for the slowness in updating. I have been very busy as of late and have had very little free time.

One more thing: This is not the last chapter. Stick around, since there's more to come.


	46. Chapter 46

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Six

"Open your eyes . . ."

Gohan heard a whisper. His eyelid muscles tensed, then relaxed again.

"Open your eyes . . ."

Gohan tried to sit up, but he could not move his arms or legs. He sat up with his torso.

"Open your eyes . . ."

Slowly, but surely, Gohan opened his eyes. He then looked around him. Everything was black around him, with stars light-years away. Below his feet, he could see a red planet.

_What in the world?_ Gohan was in a state of disbelief. "I'm in space! Wait a second, I can talk and breathe? What's going on here?"

"Simple, really," the whisper from before answered. "I've brought you here. You're in space, able to breathe."

"Who are you?" Gohan shouted. "What do you want?"

"Patience," the whisper said. "You'll find out soon enough."

Suddenly, Gohan began moving, but it was not of his own free will. The stars became blurs of light, and he began moving so fast that he could see the individual light particles as he flew by them. Then, Gohan came to a stop. In front of him was a familiar planet. "Earth!"

"Yes. Your home planet. Pity it will get destroyed soon."

Gohan bristled. "What? Who are you? TELL ME!"

"Very well," the whisper replied. "I am more energy than matter, now, but I can still manifest a material form." Slowly, a figure appeared. Gohan knew the figure all too well.

"What?" Gohan exclaimed. "It's not possible! I killed you!"

"Yes, you did," Rekhas replied. "But you did not destroy one thing. I happened to drop Ifrit when the blast hit me. You see, Asok was careful not to let the same thing happen twice. As long as Ifrit is intact, I cannot die!"

"So you want to die twice?" Gohan shouted. "Well, fine by me!" He reached for his hip to draw Testament. "What? It's not here!"

Rekhas laughed. "Yes. I made sure that when I pulled you from your spaceship not to include that infernal sword. I, however, still have Ifrit, and I now have power beyond your wildest dreams!"

"We'll see about that!" Gohan yelled as he powered up to his maximum.

Rekhas laughed again. "You Saiyans just never learn." Suddenly Gohan was knocked forward, then downward, then back up. Gohan got his balance and stabilized himself.

"Wh-what happened?" Gohan said.

"I told you I'm mostly energy now, remember?" Rekhas responded. "As such, I can strike you from anywhere. And since we are in space, you will not stop until you regain control or I hit you!" Then, Gohan reappeared right behind Rekhas, but his punch passed right through the Roxian. "Oh, another thing. You have to be fast to hurt me! Otherwise your attacks will pass through me!"

Rekhas then turned toward the planet Earth. "Such an eyesore." He lifted his hand, and a sphere of energy began to form.

Gohan's eyes widened. He knew what Rekhas was planning to do. He dashed at Rekhas, but was suddenly brought to a stop. "What? I can't move!"

"Meddling rat," Rekhas muttered. "You destroyed my planet. Why should your planet be spared?" He then threw the sphere of energy at the planet. The sphere struck the surface, and sunk into the Earth's core. The planet began developing massive fissures that crisscrossed the surface, expanded, and exploded.

Gohan looked on in horror. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"

Rekhas laughed. "Now you have no home! No Earth, no planet Vegeta! You're an orphan!"

Gohan then sensed another person's presence far away. _It's them! Mom, Goten, Trunks, you made it off the planet in time!_

Rekhas looked into the distance. "Hmmph. Seems an anthill escaped my poison. No matter." He fired an energy blast. Far off, in the distance, there was an explosion.

Gohan's eyes widened in shock. _No! Mom! Goten! This isn't . . . this can't be happening!_ Anger started to build up within Gohan. "Rekhas . . . you . . . monster . . .!" Then, Gohan's anger exploded. "GRAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His hair, which was already standing straight up, tripled in length and hung back from his head, and his eyebrows disappeared. He let loose a burst of energy, and was free to move. "That does it. Rekhas, you will die. Painfully."

Rekhas laughed. "Me, die? Oh, no, you're quite mistaken. I can tell that your power's gone up, but there's no way you can match my strength!"

"Oh, really?" Gohan asked. He then disappeared.

Rekhas looked around. "What the . . .? Where did he go? He's got to be around here somewh-OOOF!"

Gohan had reappeared and sunk his fist into Rekhas's stomach. He then propelled himself up and hit Rekhas in the side of the head with a kick. The Roxian was sent flying to Gohan's left, but regained control.

"You see, strength isn't the only thing that increased," Gohan said.

"Hmph. Very well," Rekhas replied. The Roxian then used his energy to try to strike Gohan. However, the young warrior was too quick and every invisible blow missed.

Gohan came to a stop. "Sorry. Try again."

"You ask, I DELIVER!" Rekhas yelled and launched an energy blow. However, this time, Gohan didn't move; instead, he blocked the attack.

"How . . ." Rekhas muttered in shock. "How can he do this?"

"It's called power, Rekhas," Gohan replied as he appeared right behind Rekhas. "Ever heard of it!" He then delivered a crushing kick to the emperor's face.

Rekhas barely managed to stabilize himself. Then, he started laughing. "I can't believe I forgot! You can't block this!" He placed all four of his hands together, palms facing Gohan. "Take THIS!"

A gigantic beam of powerful energy erupted from Rekhas's hands. It flew at Gohan. The young Saiyan, however, was prepared. "Ka . . . me . . . ha . . . me . . . HA!"

Gohan's attack intercepted Rekhas's attack and pierced it. Rekhas's attack turned inward on itself and imploded.

Rekhas continued to laugh. "Just as I expected from you! But this time, you won't escape!" He then pulled his lower arms back. "Kaaaaa . . . meeeee . . ."

"What!" Gohan shouted in astonishment. "It can't be! Impossible!"

Rekhas grinned. "Haaaaa . . . meeeee . . ."

Gohan shook off his shock. "Kaaaaa . . . meeeee . . . haaaaa . . . meeeee . . ."

"HAAAAA!"

"HAAAAA!"

The two attacks collided in midair, and a power struggle began. Dominance went back and forth between the two fighters, until Gohan pumped more energy into the blast. At this point, his attack overwhelmed Rekhas's attack. Rekhas got out of the way just in time.

Rekhas's eyes widened in shock. He could not comprehend how a sixteen-year-old, half-blood Saiyan could possibly outperform him. He had just attained the ultimate power, and here was a youth overpowering him. _Could he possibly be more powerful than I am? No! It can't be! But wait. How is it then that he's outdone me at every turn since he changed?_

Gohan saw the fear in his opponent's eyes. "Give up," he said. "You can't win. If you give up, I'll let you live."

Rekhas snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Gohan. _What a fool! He's more like his father than I thought!_

"It's become obvious that I have you outclassed," Gohan said. "Give up, and I'll let you live on the condition that you never attempt to take over the universe again."

Rekhas laughed. "Wishful thinking, boy! You might as well be your father trying to convince Frieza to do the same thing!"

"Are you in that much of a hurry to die?" Gohan responded. "If you insist on continuing this fight, I _will_ kill you." However, then, something happened. His hair receded back to its normal length, and turned black. His eyebrows reappeared, and his eyes turned back to their natural color. This time it was Gohan's turn to be shocked. "What happened? I didn't choose to revert!"

Rekhas grinned. "It seems like you can only maintain your new form for a limited period of time! Now, what was it that you were saying about killing me?" With that, Rekhas went on the attack.

-46-

"Oh NO!" King Kai exclaimed. "This can't be happening!"

Goku ran up to his former instructor. "What's going on?"

"Gohan had just reached a new level of power that even someone like Rekhas couldn't match," King Kai answered. "The Roxian didn't stand a chance. But what neither of them realized is that Gohan can only stay in that state for roughly fifteen minutes! Now Gohan's back to normal and he's a sitting duck!"

"He can still win," Goku said.

King Kai turned to Goku. "How?"

-46-

Gohan was in bad shape. In a few brief minutes, Rekhas had beaten him within an inch of his life. Every attack he tried was in vain. He had run out of ideas and had no choice but to let death embrace him.

"Gohan . . . you still have one option left."

Gohan's eyes snapped wide open. "Who - who is that?"

"It's King Kai, Gohan."

"K - King Kai?"

"Listen, Gohan. You still have one chance left."

Gohan was confused. "What can I do? I have no strength left in me."

"I know," King Kai said, "but that's why you need to use the strength of others."

Gohan could not understand what King Kai was saying. "What do you mean?"

"The Spirit Bomb."

This grabbed Gohan's complete attention. "The Spirit Bomb? But I can only use that when I'm on a planet."

"That's not incorrect, but it's not entirely correct, either," King Kai responded. "Look around you. Rekhas has given you the tools you need to use the Spirit Bomb. Rekhas is moving you through space. Look around, and you can see that you're moving by all sorts of stars and planets."

Gohan looked around and saw a planet down below him. Suddenly, everything shifted, and he was on the outside of an asteroid belt. After a moment, everything shifted again, and Gohan saw the planet Jupiter not far away.

"With what Rekhas is doing, you'll be able to gather life energy from every planet you come to," King Kai explained. "In essence, you're forming a Spirit Bomb using the life energy of every living creature in the entire galaxy!"

"Every living creature in the galaxy . . . That would be enough to kill Rekhas," Gohan concluded. "All right. I'll do it."

Gohan held his arms out above him. "Creatures of the land, sea, and sky, I ask of you to heed my cry. This is our most desperate hour. Please, I beg of you, lend me your power."

-46-

King Kai started snickering.

Goku stared at King Kai. "What could possibly be so funny at a time like this?"

"Gohan's a poet . . . AND DOESN'T KNOW IT!" King Kai then burst into a fit of laughter.

Goku looked bewildered. "Really? I ought to tell him when I talk to him next." King Kai abruptly stopped laughing and scowled.

-46-

The Namekians sensed something. Ignoring their farmwork for the time being, they looked up at the sky. "Elder Moori, what is that?" one of them asked.

"That is Gohan," Moori replied. "He needs our help." Moori and the other Namekians all joined their hands and closed their eyes.

-46-

King Michael of Gabria was sitting on his throne, thinking, when he felt an odd presence. He opened his eyes. "For a moment there, I thought I could feel Gohan right in front of me. He seems like he's in trouble." Once again, he closed his eyes.

-46-

"Legume," Sage Noah said. "Come here."

"What is it?" Legume asked.

"It's Gohan," Noah answered. "He needs our help. Take my hand."

-46-

Slowly, but surely, the life energy from the various lifeforms in the galaxy began to seep through Gohan's body and permeate his aura. Gohan knew that, by doing this, he was taking a major risk; after all, there was nothing that would stop Rekhas from attacking him if he decided to.

Speaking of which, the Roxian emperor was watching Gohan with curiosity. _Just what is he doing? Is he inviting me to finish him off? Actually, now that I think about it, that's a good idea._ He rushed forward to attack Gohan. However, something emerged in his way. A ghostly figure, with its back turned, appeared in front of Rekhas, and the Roxian found himself unable to move ahead. The figure wore an orange martial arts gi and had a head full of black, spiky hair.

Gohan was speechless. All he could say was one word. "Dad?"

"Hey, kiddo," Goku said, his voice echoing a bit. "You have no idea how proud I am of you right now. Even when the odds are stacked against you, you keep on fighting. You never give up. And that's how you should be."

"What's going on?" Gohan asked. "How can you be here like this?"

Goku did not answer. Instead, to his left, someone else appeared. This person was taller than Goku, and wore a white mantle and a turban.

Piccolo smiled. "Unbelievable. If you had told me eleven years ago that the little kid who had been pampered all his life would save the universe, I never would have believed it."

"You can say that again," Krillin commented as he appeared.

"And I should have known better, as well," Raditz remarked. "This boy is my relative, after all."

"It wouldn't have surprised me," Trunks added. "After all, he was my mentor."

One by one, in similar fashion, spectral beings resembling all of his friends and loved ones appeared and formed a circle around Gohan. Rekhas could not break through, and Gohan continued gathering energy. Then, all of his friends held each other's hands, and Gohan could feel a surge of power. _Are they giving me their energy? But how? They're dead!_

"Well, Gohan, we have to go now," Goku said. "You can do it. We all know you can." Gohan nodded, and his friends disappeared.

Rekhas shook his head, attempting to rid himself of the confusion. _What was that just now? I don't get it._ Now, though, there was a path to Gohan. However, at that moment, Gohan finished collecting energy for his Spirit Bomb. He focused, and a small sphere of energy no larger than Gohan's head floated above his hand.

Rekhas fired an energy attack. "DIE!" At that moment, Gohan threw the Spirit Bomb. As the two blasts neared each other, tension built. The attacks then collided, but Rekhas's attack was absorbed into the Spirit Bomb.

Rekhas's eyes widened. "What? No way! Impossible!" Rekhas tried to move out of the way, but the Spirit Bomb was too quick. It hit him head on. The Spirit Bomb, true to its name, exploded on contact, engulfing Rekhas within it. Gohan could hear Rekhas's shouts. However, they quickly turned to laughter. "You idiot! You didn't realize that I was allowing you to survive in space! Now you'll die too!" A moment later, the blast died and Rekhas was gone. Suddenly, Gohan couldn't inhale. He realized that Rekhas had been telling the truth. Gohan knew that the human brain could survive without oxygen for approximately five minutes. He needed somewhere to go, anywhere. However, he could not muster up the strength to teleport to a familiar planet. Then, he saw his salvation: Bulma's ship. It was still flying. Gohan focused all his energy to the inside of the ship, and in the blink of an eye, he was there. Gohan took a deep breath of air, ignoring the pain in his lungs every time he breathed. He collapsed on the floor of the bridge and went to sleep.


	47. Chapter 47

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Seven

Gohan climbed out of his bed. It had been a few days since his last fight with Rekhas, and he was feeling better. He would probably need a healer to make a complete recovery, however. Unfortunately, Earth was destroyed, so that meant that there was no Dende or Senzu Beans. However, he had another destination in mind.

Gohan slipped on his armor and walked to the bridge. _It's so quiet with no one else around_, he thought. _Hopefully that will change soon._

"Beginning landing procedure for Namek," the computer said. Gohan sat in the pilot's chair and prepared for a landing.

-47-

Gohan walked out of the spaceship onto Namekian soil. He stood on the outskirts of a Namekian village and walked toward the center of the village. As he did so, he came across a familiar figure.

Gohan bowed. "Hello, Elder Moori."

"Ah, it's nice to see you, Gohan," Moori replied. "You seem a little bruised up. I guess your fight with Rekhas was difficult then, no?"

"Very," Gohan answered. "And I would not have defeated him if you all had not given me your energy."

"So, what brings you to our planet?" Moori asked.

Gohan hung his head, and tears began to cloud his eyes. "My friends, my family, Earth . . . they're all gone. I came to stay here until the Dragon Balls can be used again."

Moori frowned. "Hmm. Reviving so many people may be more than Porunga can currently handle. I can work on that. When was the last time the Dragon Balls were summoned?"

Gohan thought for a moment. "I'd say about a month ago. So I have another four months to wait before the Dragon Balls can be reused."

"Actually, make that two," Moori said. "Something about your fight with Rekhas gave the Dragon Balls more energy and cut the wait this time."

Gohan's eyes lit up. "Really? That's great!"

"Right now, though, I have a question," Moori said. "We Namekians only require water for sustenance. You, on the other hand, require food."

"I have plenty of food on my spaceship," Gohan replied. "Bulma stocked it with enough food to feed a small army of Saiyans for three years. I'll be fine."

-47-

Soon, two months passed and Gohan gathered the Dragon Balls, along with a Namekian interpreter to make the wishes. The interpreter spoke the words to call forth the Namekian Eternal Dragon, Porunga.

"SPEAK YOU WHO HAVE SUMMONED ME. I WILL GRANT ANY THREE WISHES YOU WANT."

"My home planet, Earth, was destroyed," Gohan said. "Could you bring it back the way it was before it was destroyed?" The Namekian interpreted the wish for Porunga.

The dragon's eyes glowed. "IT IS DONE," he said. "WHAT IS YOUR SECOND WISH?"

"Please move the souls of my traveling companions to the Namekian check-in station in the Other World!" Gohan exclaimed. The Namekian interpreted the wish.

Porunga's eyes glowed again. "THERE. THEIR SOULS ARE NOW IN THIS PLANET'S CHECK-IN STATION. WHAT IS YOUR THIRD WISH?"

Gohan choked up. Here it was. He would finally be able to see his friends - and Sephra - again. "Please restore life to all those who were killed by the Roxians!"

Once again, the dragon's eyes began glowing a bright red. One by one, Gohan's friends appeared, starting with Piccolo. The last person to appear was Sephra. The very moment she appeared, she threw herself on Gohan, weeping tears of joy. Gohan closed his eyes and stroked the princess's hair.

"YOUR THREE WISHES HAVE BEEN GRANTED," Porunga said. "FAREWELL." Porunga then disappeared, and the Dragon Balls shot up into the air. At their peak, they shot out in seven different directions, not to be discovered for another five months.

Bulma smiled at Gohan. "Where now?"

"Home," Gohan replied. "Let's go home."

-47-

"Okay," Bulma said. "Everyone, prepare for entry into Earth's atmosphere."

Sephra grinned. "I can't wait to see what Earth looks like!"

No one else was able to say anything as they entered the Earth's atmosphere and felt the planet's gravitational pull kick in. Bulma eventually managed to slow the ship down, and they saw themselves above a small city.

"Man, it's nice to see some normal Earth-style buildings for a change!" Gohan commented as he looked out the rear window.

"It'll take us about an hour to get to West City," Bulma said.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Krillin exclaimed. "Let's go!"

Suddenly, the ship got knocked sideways. It tumbled over a few times, and everyone got knocked around the bridge.

"What was that?" Bulma shouted.

Gohan looked out the window, and gasped in utter horror. Where the city had been there was now a giant mushroom cloud comprised of flame and smoke. "What is going on?"

Trunks looked out the window. "That's a nuclear explosion. Did someone drop a hydrogen bomb on the city?"

Bulma looked at her control panel. "No way! That explosion was too strong to be from an H-bomb! Radiation levels are climbing, too!"

"Then get us out of here!" Vegeta shouted. As if on cue, the ship sped off.

"Is there a nuclear war or something going on here?" Yamcha wondered aloud.

"If there isn't, there's going to be one now," Piccolo said. "Once the government of whatever nation controlled that city finds out who was responsible, they'll most likely retaliate with a nuclear weapon of their own."

"I can only think of one place on Earth that's relatively safe from nuclear warfare," Gohan said. "Bulma? Change course. We need to go to the Lookout."

-47-

Dende rushed out to his friends. "Gohan! You're back!"

Gohan nodded. "But we have another crisis on our hands."

"Dende, do you know of any nations preparing to launch a nuclear strike?" Piccolo asked.

Dende shook his head sadly. "So you saw, too. I have no idea what happened."

"Well, whatever the case may be, we need to get our friends that are still down there to safety," Piccolo commented. "Chi-chi, her father, and Goten should be safe in their rural village, as should Master Roshi on his island. Everyone at Capsule Corporation, however, is at a major risk. After all, West City is the largest city on the continent."

"I'll get them," Gohan said, and he disappeared. A few moments later, he reappeared with Bulma's parents, the present-day Trunks, and Puar.

"Well, now that that's been taken care of, someone ought to check out what happened at ground zero," Piccolo said.

Androids 17 and 18 looked at each other. "Eighteen and I will go," Android 17 replied. "We won't be affected by radiation."

"Also, no one can sense our power levels," Android 18 added. With that, the two siblings took off.

Gohan then took Sephra's hand. "May I talk to you for a moment?" Sephra nodded.

Gohan led Sephra over to the edge of the Lookout. "There's something I want you to see," Gohan said. He then took a deep breath and shouted, "NIMBUS!"

A streak of yellow shot through the sky as the ever-faithful cloud neared its caller. It came to a stop in front of Gohan.

"This is the Flying Nimbus," Gohan explained. "It travels at speeds up to Mach 2. It will allow people to ride it, but only if those people are pure in heart." Gohan jumped up and landed on the Flying Nimbus, and did not fall through. "See?" He hopped off the cloud. "Let's see if it will let you ride it."

Sephra bent her knees and jumped as high as she could. She used her wings to give her more momentum to land on the cloud like Gohan did. Her feet touched down on the cloud, but she did not fall through it.

Gohan smiled. "Just as I thought."

"Why did you want to show this to me?" Sephra asked.

Gohan's expression became more serious. "Sephra, if something bad happens here, I want you to hop on the Flying Nimbus and fly away, as far as you can."

Sephra shook her head. "No. I'm staying with you, no matter what."

"Sephra, I gave your father my word that I'd protect you," Gohan replied. "I intend to not let him down. Also, I already lost you once. I can't let it happen again. I'd never forgive myself."

-47-

An hour later, there was a sudden outburst of energy. It caught the attention of Gohan and his friends at the lookout. "What is that?" Gohan exclaimed.

"It came from the city where the nuclear blast went off!" Piccolo responded.

"Oh, no!" Krillin exclaimed. "The androids!"

Gohan jumped to his feet. "I'm going over there."

Vegeta spun around. "Do you have a death wish? You won't survive the amount of radiation there!"

Gohan grabbed the hilt of Testament. "With this, I can." He then teleported away.

-47-

Androids 17 and 18 were hiding beneath a pile of debris. They barely managed to escape an explosion of power.

"What was that?" Android 18 asked.

"I don't know," Android 17 answered. "But whatever it was, it's not good. Also, it feels familiar. As if I felt it somewhere before . . ."

Suddenly, about a hundred yards away, Gohan appeared. "What's Gohan doing here?" Android 17 wondered.

Gohan began looking around for the androids. Unfortunately, he could not tell where they were from power levels, since theirs could not be detected. He kept his hand firmly gripped on Testament's hilt. As he flew around, he noticed something. The sword was warm. He pulled it out of its scabbard, and found the grooves in the blade to be glowing red. _I wonder what that means?_ As he was looking at the sword, something hit him in the back. Gohan was knocked forward, but he stabilized himself and spun around. "Who's there?" In response, he felt a blow to his chest, knocking him backwards. Gohan righted himself, and looked around frantically. "Show yourself!"

There was an echoing laugh. "As you wish," the voice said. Several feet away from Gohan, a light appeared. The first thing to emerge from the light was someone's arm. However, this person's arm ended in not a hand, but rather a sword's blade. Then, three more arms appeared, and two legs, and finally, a body. The body of someone Gohan recognized all too well.

"It . . . can't . . . be!" Gohan exclaimed in utter shock. "I killed you! Twice!"

Rekhas laughed. "Yes, you did. But once again, you failed to destroy Ifrit. As can be proven by my upper-right arm. You only broke the blade off the hilt. Sadly for you, this is what contained the soul of Asok, my ancestor! And just look at my power! Soon, I'll have the universe bowing before me, unless they want to look like this city!"

Gohan was taken aback. "You did this? You generated a nuclear explosion?"

"Yes, I did!" Rekhas replied. "This was Asok's trademark ability! And now it is mine!"

Gohan looked at the ground. He found the ruins of a teddy bear below him. "I don't believe this. Once again you prove you are a monster. You kill anyone if it suits you, whether it be someone who challenges you, or innocent bystanders. Not even children are spared." He then looked up at his adversary. "And you delight in it! You never stop! You love it!" Gohan's rage was building at an alarming rate. I'm not going to take this ANY MORE!" In the flash of an eye, Gohan was Super Saiyan.

"That's different," Android 17 commented.

"What is?" Android 18 asked. "He's gone Super Saiyan before."

"But not while holding Testament," Android 17 replied. "He always reverts when he so much as touches the blade."

Android 18 looked and saw that her brother was right. Gohan had gone Super Saiyan while holding Testament.

"Don't look now, but he's still changing!" Android 18 observed. She was right; Gohan's eyes and hair began glowing. The glow died down, and revealed that Gohan now had white hair and red pupils. The grooves in Testament were glowing every color of the rainbow at once. Electricity seemed to travel around his body and through the sword.

Rekhas watched for a moment. "Well, this is interesting. What now?" He figured that there was no point in risking himself just yet, so he tried out one of his new powers. Rekhas brought a piece of rubble into the air. With so much as a slight gesture, the rubble was carved into a humanoid shape. Suddenly, the shape began to move on its own, complete with articulated limbs.

"So, what do you think of this power?" Rekhas asked. "You see the boy in front of you, golem? Kill him."

The golem rushed forward, but suddenly, it fell to the ground, cut in half down the middle. Gohan remained in the same stance.

Rekhas looked on, surprised. "What was that? No matter, I just need to make a STRONGER one!" With that, he lifted a giant rock into the air. Using the rock, he formed a golem that was easily thirty feet tall. "Attack the boy!" Rekhas shouted. The golem rushed forward, but like its predecessor, it fell to the ground in two pieces, this time cut horizontally.

"What is going on here?" Rekhas wondered. Then, a blow hit him in the jaw like an uppercut. Rekhas stabilized himself. He looked at Gohan to find that the teen had not moved an inch. Then another blow was landed, this time in the gut. Again, Gohan appeared to have not moved.

_What is going on here? Can he possibly be moving faster than I have detected?_ Rekhas thought.

"So, you finally figured it out," Gohan said.

"What?" Rekhas said. "Figured what out?"

"That I'm actually moving faster than you can see," Gohan answered. "And that I can hear your thoughts."

"WHAT?" Rekhas was taken aback. How dare this impudent whelp spoke to him that way! He launched himself at Gohan, and his speed was quite hard to follow, too. However, one more time, Gohan was faster and knocked Rekhas back.

Rekhas stopped. "What is going on with you? ANSWER ME!"

Gohan replied with one word: "Saoshyant."

"Saoshyant?" Rekhas exclaimed. "So . . . this is the reincarnated savior's true form."

"That's right," came a voice from Gohan's mouth. This voice, however, was not Gohan's own.

Rekhas's eyes widened. This voice was locked away in Asok's memories. "Lucius."

"That's right," Lucius said. "My soul is in this sword, as well. You see, Asok, there are many more effective ways about brining forth your descendant's power. Strong emotions - such as anger - work quite well."

"Damn you, Lucius," Rekhas said. "You always have to interfere with my plans. Think. In a universe where I rule, there will be eternal peace. No more wars will be waged, and people will go about their daily lives."

"It's only beneficial to you Roxians!" Lucius shouted. "Who would want to live in a world where every race except one is enslaved for not only life, but death, too? No one wants that life!"

"But there will be no unnecessary bloodshed, either," Rekhas said.

"Unnecessary bloodshed? There's ALREADY been too much!" Lucius shouted. "Your mind games will not work on me, nor will they work on my descendant! Get that through your head, because you'll need to be at your peak if you want to have any hope of surviving, let alone defeating us!"

"My peak? Ha! I can defeat you with the way I am now!" Rekhas replied.

"Oh?" Gohan said. "Then why is it that you can't land a single punch?"

"JUST WATCH ME!" Rekhas yelled, and attacked. His punch seemed to go right through Gohan. However, he had only attempted to hit an after-image, as it faded.

Unbeknownst to Rekhas, Gohan had moved to where Androids 17 and 18 were. "Both of you, get out of here. Now." He then moved again.

Androids 17 and 18 just looked at each other.

Gohan then reappeared behind Rekhas and landed a punch in his back. Rekhas tried to catch himself, but Gohan hit him with a kick to the head. Rekhas landed facefirst in the rubble. He slowly got up, and tried to take off, but once again, Gohan was on him. This time, Gohan had Rekhas by the arms, and was slowly forcing Rekhas back to the ground. The Roxian tried to put more effort in, but Gohan decided to increase his strength and forced Rekhas to the ground before he even knew what hit him. Then, Gohan launched a series of punches at Rekhas's solar plexus, driving the air out of the emperor and cracking his armor. He then backed away and let Rekhas get up.

"You can't . . . possibly be human . . . or Saiyan!" Rekhas said. "Who are you?"

"I am the hope of the universe," Gohan said. Unbeknownst to either fighter, this statement got Goku and King Kai's attention in the Other World.

"I am the answer to all living things who cry out for peace."

Androids 17 and 18 were dumfounded by what they were watching. "Amazing."

"I am the protector of the innocent; the light in the darkness; I am truth."

Piccolo, Vegeta, and several other fighters were on the way to ground zero. "We're on our way, Gohan."

The electricity surrounding Gohan tripled in intensity, and a powerful golden aura surrounded the fighter.

"Ally to good! Nightmare to you!"


	48. Chapter 48Fixed!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologize greatly for the long delay. So much crap has come up, between college classes, transferring, breaking my ankle, and my hard drive crashing on me. But I swore I'd finish this fanfic, and I will finish. Anyway, here is the final battle! Enjoy!

NOTE 2: It seems the site screwed up when I uploaded this before. It cut off the second half of the chapter. My apologies.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball Z, nor do I own the song "Fight"-those honors belong to Akira Toriyama and World Wrestling Entertainment, respectively.

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Eight

I, I know your every move

I've heard your every word

I know you well

And I've got nothing left to prove

Your threats I find absurd

I am your hell

Every time you think I'm done

I'll come back stronger

And every time you think that you've got me

I will fight you

And I will put you in the ground

I will fight 'til there's nothing left

'Til my legs are gone

You won't forget me

'Cause I will fight 'til there's nothing left

Just to see you fall

I'll make you fear me

Every time you think I'm done

I'll come back stronger

And every time you think that you've got me

I will fight you

And I will put you in the ground

I will fight 'til there's nothing left

'Til my legs are gone

You won't forget me

Every time you think I'm done

I'll come back stronger

And every time you think that you've got me

I will fight you

Every time you think I'm done

I'll come back stronger

And every time you think that you've got me

I will fight you

"Fight" - WWE Anthology

-48-

As the two fighters stared each other down, dark clouds gathered overhead. In mere moments, the sky was filled with clouds and rain began to fall.

"I hope you like the rain," Gohan said, "as your last day alive will be filled with it."

Rekhas chuckled. "You know, it's funny. I was just about to say the same thing to you."

"Except you don't have the power to back up your threats," Gohan replied.

Rekhas snarled. "I'll show you power!" He then charged at Gohan. The teen, however, charged forward, landed his elbow into Rekhas's back, and returned to his prior position. To even the eyes of Rekhas, it had appeared as if Gohan had not moved at all.

Rekhas stabilized himself and floated back up. He then remembered the words of Lucius: "You'll need to be at your peak if you want to have any hope of surviving, let alone defeating us!" With the way the battle had been going so far, it seemed that Lucius had been right. Rekhas began to raise his power level. Gohan simply watched as Rekhas powered up.

-48-

Goku watched intensely. "So it all comes down to this. Gohan, I pray you know what you're doing."

King Kai turned to Goku, surprised. "Huh? You aren't going to offer any help?"

"I never told you this, King Kai, but there were two reasons I told the others not to wish me back," Goku said. "The first is what I told them--that trouble follows me like a lost lamb. But there was a second reason.

"We both know that I won't be around forever. The others need to realize that, as well. I wanted to make sure Earth would be able to get along without me. In other words, this is a test for Gohan. Yes, I know I took a huge gamble, but it would come to this sooner or later, and what good would it do if no one were left to defend the people when I did go?"

King Kai frowned. "Hmm...you have a point. Let's just hope your gamble pays off."

-48-

Rekhas grinned as the green aura reached its peak intensity. "I am now at full power. Feel free to attack me at any time." However, Gohan did not move. "So, you're just going to stand there? Are you that afraid of dying?" He laughed at his own joke. Still, the young Saiyan did not move. Rekhas then frowned. "Fine! If you won't attack me, then I'll attack you!" He then charged at Gohan. Just as he was about to reach Gohan, however, Gohan disappeared. He reappeared right above Rekhas and drove the bottom of Testament's hilt into the evil emperor's back. Rekhas shouted out with pain and began to fall, but as he did, he grabbed Gohan's left leg and pulled him down with him. Gohan quickly acted to fight gravity, then kicked out with his left leg, causing Rekhas to lose his grip. Rekhas flew back a bit and came to a stop.

Rekhas licked his chops. "All right, no more games. From this point on, this is a test of our swordsmanship."

"Fine by me," Gohan answered.

Rekhas began another advance toward Gohan, this time slowly. When he was within striking distance, he brought his blade down in a vertical motion. Gohan quickly brought his sword up to block. Rekhas pulled his arm back and went for a stab, but Gohan shifted to the right and out of harm's way. His arm still extended, Rekhas brought it to his left, but Gohan lifted his legs up so that he jumped over the blow. As he did so, he thrust his own blade at his opponent's head. Rekhas moved his head to the side to avoid the blow, then before Gohan could swing it horizontally, dropped his altitude. He then charged upward again, blade arm extended. However, Gohan moved in, hit the inside of Rekhas's elbow with a chop from his left hand, then slashed upward. However, Rekhas used the momentum from Gohan's chop to take him downwards and out of his slash's range.

-48-

As the contest between the forces of good and evil took place in the sky, two spectators watched from beneath a protruding piece of asphalt.

"They're moving so fast that I can barely follow them," Android 18 said.

"Same here," Android 17 replied. "Still, I can see how they're fighting. It's like watching a monkey fight a crane."

"What do you mean?" 18 asked.

"Notice how Rekhas moves. All of his moves are sudden and jerky. Gohan, on the other hand, is moving gracefully, almost seemingly with no effort. Maybe because Rekhas is big with large muscles, and Gohan is smaller and more nimble, yet comparable in strength. Or maybe it's something else altogether."

"You mean the sources of their powers, don't you?"

Seventeen nodded. "From what I can gather, both swords hold the spirits of their ancestors. Asok for Rekhas, and Lucius for Gohan. I would not be at all surprised if their ancestors were influencing their fighting styles."

Eighteen turned her full attention back to the fight. "There's something else. Rekhas's larger size makes him use up more energy to dodge Gohan's attacks. If this turns into an endurance battle, Gohan will win."

"And what if Rekhas has more endurance than Gohan?" 17 asked.

"We'll have to wait and see," 18 answered. "After all, as much as I hate to admit it, neither of us is a match for that freak."

-48-

Rekhas stopped his attacks for a moment and began to laugh. Softly at first, but it grew in volume.

"What's so funny?" Gohan demanded.

"You are!" Rekhas answered. "We're fighting against each other, but we both have the same goal!"

"How do you figure?" Gohan replied skeptically.

"We both want peace." Rekhas responded. "But your idea of peace is a joke. People need strong leaders to keep from lashing out at each other. Think about it. If I lose, another war in the universe is inevitable. But if I win, there will never be another war."

"But your methods are completely wrong," Gohan said angrily. "I have seen what the future holds in store for the universe if things go your way. I know what you have planned. You'll use the Dragon Balls to make yourself as powerful as any god that might exist, use your power to take over not only this world, but the next as well, and then enslave every sentient being that isn't a Roxian. From the moment they are born, they will live a life of servitude and torture for the rest of eternity."

Rekhas was surprised by the fact that Gohan knew all of his plans. However, he did not let it bother him. "But there will be eternal peace."

"Peace with that system is worse than war!" Gohan exclaimed. "With war, there's suffering for only a set period of time, but with your system, there will be eternal suffering! Now, are you going to continue to try in vain to get me to give up, or can we settle this once and for all?!"

Rekhas scowled. "Fine. You leave me no choice. I will be especially sure you never have a pain-free moment for the rest of your existence!"

-48-

Piccolo, Vegeta, and the others were flying toward the battle site. However, some of the company was worried.

"If the area was the center of a nuclear blast, why are we Saiyans going as well?" Trunks asked no one in particular.

"It was your choice to join us," Piccolo said. "It's not too late to turn back, you know."

"I don't know if that will be a problem," Ayn replied. "If Gohan has unleashed the full power of Testament-as I believe he has-then Testament will be able to purge the radiation from the surrounding area."

"He'd better have," Vegeta said. "If I travel all this way just to puke out my guts, I am going to be very angry!"

For a moment afterward, no one talked. Then, they heard a shout: "Hey, wait for me!"

"Huh?" The others turned around to see Sephra flying toward them on the Flying Nimbus.

"Sephra, what are you doing?"Piccolo shouted. "We told you to stay at the Lookout!"

"No! I'm not going to sit around while everyone else is risking their lives!" Sephra answered. "I love Gohan too much to let him handle this alone! When you love someone, you do whatever you can for them! Right, Krillin?"

"Huh?" Krillin's face turned a deep red. "Uh..."

Piccolo clenched his teeth. "Look, we don't have time to debate this! Let's go!"

-48-

The battle raged on, and Gohan and Rekhas seemed locked in a stalemate. They were matching each other move for move, and neither had made considerable ground over the other, until a mistake was made.

Rekhas, in a desperation attack, shot up into the air, then came barreling down with his blade aimed at Gohan's head. Gohan, however, lifted his sword to block. Unfortunately, Gohan misjudged the amount of force behind the blow, and while the blade of Ifrit never made direct contact, it caused Testament to whack him in the head with most of the force of Rekhas's blow. This single mistake sent Gohan flying at an angle toward the ground, at a flagpole with the tip broken off. If Gohan did not stop, he would be impaled on the pole. However, Gohan stopped before he fully recovered.

Gohan looked up, his vision distorted from the blow he had taken. Still, he could make out the reason why he stopped. "S-Seventeen! What are you still doing here?"

"Saving you, apparently," the android replied.

Gohan regained his senses completely, and pulled away from 17. "I told you to leave!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," 17 replied. "I'm not the type of guy who can leave the fate of the universe entirely in someone else's hands."

"I can't do that either," came a voice from below. Android 18 had stepped out of her hiding place.

"And it seems that they can't, either," 17 said, looking into the sky. Gohan followed his gaze and saw the rest of his friends standing over the battlefield.

Gohan tried to protest, but he found that he could not muster the energy to do so. "You guys..."

Rekhas then began to laugh. "Excellent! Now I can deal with all of you at once!"

Gohan turned to Rekhas, anger showing on every part of his face. "You bastard! You focus on me!"

"Oh, I will, don't worry," the emperor said. "But your friends will have their hands full when you see my new powers!" He then formed fifteen spheres of energy around him. The spheres then grew and changed shape. In less than thirty seconds, Rekhas was surrounded by fifteen Roxians.

"You see, I now have the ability to bring my people back from the dead without the help of outside forces!" Rekhas crowed. "Now, my faithful subjects, crush them! But leave the white-haired one to me!" With that, the Roxians charged, as Gohan looked on with horror. However, that horror soon disappeared when the two Roxians who had chosen Vegeta and Trunks burst into flames when they got within six feet of them. There was a flash of light, and the Roxian that had targeted Siber fell to the ground, a series of holes through his body. Yamcha created a miniature tornado which ensnared a Roxian, and then charged in and punched a series of holes through it. None of them had any trouble dispatching their new foes-even Sephra, who created a barrier of light to deflect an energy blast, drew an arrow, and fired it through the barrier, piercing the Roxian's brain.

Rekhas looked on in astonishment. "How can this be? Those were imperial guardsmen before they died!"

"Simple, Rekhas," Piccolo replied. "In the three months we spent in the next world, did you think we sat idling until Gohan wished us back?"

"Of course not!" Raditz said, continuing Piccolo's speech. "We received training!"

"I'm not even a fighter, and I can handle a Roxian now!" Sephra added.

"And another thing!" Rekhas shouted. "Five of you are Saiyans! You should be succumbing to the radiation! Gohan has a reason--" He then stopped, realizing the answer to his question. "THAT DAMN SWORD!!" With that, he rushed at Gohan in a blind rage. Gohan effortlessly dodged each of Rekhas's attacks, and knocked him backwards with a sword thrust that cracked his armor.

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHH!!" Rekhas screamed in rage. He then looked at his surroundings and grinned. "Ha ha ha! I've got it! I'll grab you and create a nuclear blast with you at ground zero!" Thus began a game of tag. As he flew, Gohan fired energy blasts, but they had no effect on the twisted emperor. He could no longer think of a way out, until he heard a voice in his head.

'Gohan! Listen to me! Channel your energy through Testament!'

'Huh? Who is this?' Gohan responded.

'Not now! Just trust me! Channel everything you have through Testament! Your energy will combine with the sword's, and you can release it in the form of a Kamehameha!'

'But how?'

'I've already reached out to five other people, and they know what to do,' the voice said. 'I need you to focus all your energy into your hands, and the sword will absorb it. It'll take time to do so, though.'

At that moment, an energy blast flew up into the air and hit Rekhas in the chest. The force from the blast knocked him in a loop and distracted him from Gohan. Gohan took the chance to begin channeling energy into the sword as he was told.

Rekhas looked around for the culprit. "ALL RIGHT, WHO'S THE SMART-ASS?!" he yelled. He then felt a blow to his head. He stopped himself from flying too far, and turned around.

"I was wondering when you would figure it out," Raditz commented. "I forgot how slow you Roxians are."

"I'LL SHOW YOU HOW 'SLOW' I AM!" Rekhas yelled as he charged at Raditz. The Super Saiyan, however, simply moved out of the way, and as Rekhas flew by, he fired an energy blast. The blast caught Rekhas in the back and sent him even further than he had intended.

Raditz laughed. "You Roxians are so predictable." In response, Rekhas turned around and flew at Raditz again. This time, though, it was too fast for the Super Saiyan to follow. He landed a punch in Raditz's gut, causing him to double over, then delivered a series of punches to Raditz's back. He finished with a double axehandle that sent Raditz flying into the ground. He then fired an energy blast, but the blast seemed to mysteriously veer away from the Super Saiyan.

"That's enough," came a voice from behind Rekhas. The Roxian emperor turned around to find Ayn standing behind him. "I'll be your next opponent."

Rekhas laughed. "You? You're no match for me if Raditz wasn't! You can't even turn into a Super Saiyan!"

"That's because I don't need to," Ayn responded. "And now, I'll show you something I learned during the three months that I was dead." He spread his fingers apart, and at the tip of each a colored sphere of energy appeared. "You see these? Each one contains the essence of one of the four traditional elements-red for fire, blue for water, yellow for earth, and green for wind." He then clenched his fists. "Now, I'll show you what happens when those four elements are combined!"

Rekhas, however, already had an idea what Ayn was doing. "No...you don't mean..."

Ayn opened his hands, and a sphere of pulsating, multicolored energy appeared in each hand. "Yes. This is the material that existed before the universe. This...is chaos.

"Chaos can annihilate any matter it comes in contact with, provided that matter is not in the form of a gas. I'd assume that includes Roxian flesh, but after being revived by Asok's power twice, it's hard to say. Care to help me test it out?" He then brought his two hands together, fusing the two spheres of chaos. "Chaos Blast!"

A beam of chaos shot forth from Ayn's hands and toward Rekhas. The Roxian emperor tried to avoid it, but the blast caught his left arms. When the blast died down, there was nothing left of his two left arms.

"Rrrrg...damn you..." Rekhas grunted through the pain. Drawing power from Ifrit, the Roxian then was able to regenerate his arms. "You'll pay for that!" He then shot an energy blast into Ayn's chest, which knocked him to the ground. He then set his sights on Gohan, then charged. Before he reached Gohan, however, he was grabbed from behind and a sword placed up against his neck.

"Where do you think you're going?" Trunks demanded. "You're not going to stand me up, are you?" He then let the Roxian go and delivered a punch to his back. He then brought his fist down on Rekhas's face, knocking him downward. Trunks then sheathed his sword and began a series of arm motions, which ended with his arms straight and his palms open. "Burning Attack!"

The ball of energy flew straight down from Trunks's hands and into the chest of Rekhas, where it exploded on impact. Knowing that the blast was not enough to kill Rekhas, he dashed at him. However, from the cloud of dust shot a hand that struck Trunks in the chest, then knocked him to the ground. Rekhas then flew up into the air, but was once again stopped abruptly by a huge fist.

"You're not getting anywhere near Gohan so long as I'm around!" Broly shouted.

What caught Rekhas by surprise was that Broly was at full power, in his legendary Super Saiyan state. "What? What's going on? You should be going like a berserker now!"

"Maybe three months ago, but now I'M in control!" Broly responded. He landed another punch to Rekhas's chest, then grabbed the emperor by the head and threw him into the remains of a building. He then fired an energy blast at the building, which exploded on contact. However, Rekhas flew out from the cloud of dust and hit Broly square in the jaw, knocking him back. Then, Broly seemed to disappear.

Vegeta flew up to meet Rekhas. "You may have defeated the other four, but you'll have a much harder time getting through me!" he stated.

"Oh? And what can you do that's so much better since our last meeting?" Rekhas replied.

"I'll show you!" Vegeta then focused his energy in his palms. Suddenly, a pair of fireballs formed in his hands. However, these flames were black.

"You see this? This is hellfire. It's much hotter than normal flames, and the burns it leaves are agonizing," Vegeta explained. "And now, you'll feel that agony yourself!" He then threw the fireballs at Rekhas. Rekhas tried to get out of the way, but the fireballs hit both of his feet. His feet were burned clear off, and Rekhas started screaming from the pain. However, he was able to fight through it, and charged at Vegeta.

-48-

Gohan continued to channel his energy into the sword, until he heard the voice again. 'That's it! Get ready!'

Gohan looked up at where Vegeta and Rekhas were. He shouted the Saiyan king's name, which then prompted Vegeta to back off. Holding the sword with both hands, Gohan pulled it back. "Kaaaaaaaaa...meeeeeeeeee..."

Rekhas looked down and saw Gohan. "Hee hee hee! You're all mine, now!"

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

Rekhas then stopped short. Gohan was putting off so much power that it was disrupting Rekhas's senses. "What? How can this be?!"

"Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee..."

Rekhas then clenched his teeth. "YOU'RE NOT FIRING THAT BLAST!" He then shot his own energy blast.

Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down. The energy blast flew toward Gohan, but mere seconds before it reached him, Gohan thrust his arms-and the sword they were holding-forward.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

From the tip of the blade erupted a beam of energy so massive that it could have completely engulfed the sun. Rekhas's energy blast was destroyed by the blast. The Roxian emperor could do nothing but scream in terror as the blast consumed him. The blade that was in his arm crumbled away, along with the rest of his body. After that, the beam slowly grew smaller and smaller, until it disappeared entirely.

The rain stopped, and the sun began to shine. Breathing hard, Gohan let his arms down. His hair and eyes slowly faded back to their natural color. No longer capable of sustaining the energy needed to stay in the air, Gohan began to slowly fall to Earth. However, 17 caught Gohan while still in the air. Using what little energy he had left, he spoke.

"It's over... At last, it's over..."

Gohan's eyes then closed as he gave way to sleep.

"Go ahead, Gohan," 17 said. "Sleep all you want. You've earned it."

Down below, someone let out a cheer.

"All right!" Krillin exclaimed. "We did it!"

"Yeah," Siber said, grinning. "Now the universe will never have to fear the Roxians ever again."

"Oh, man, music to my ears!" Yamcha remarked. "After all that, I just want to laze about for a while."

Meanwhile, on King Kai's planet, another person stood watching with the biggest grin thought possible.

"You were amazing, Gohan," Goku said. "You truly are a hero."


	49. Chapter 49

AUTHOR'S NOTE: In case you missed it, I replaced the content of Chapter 48. The first time I posted it, half of the chapter got cut off. So I replaced it with the full chapter. If you have not read the full chapter, you should probably go back and do that before reading this chapter.

The Chosen One

Chapter Forty-Nine

Chi-chi walked into Gohan's room. Due to the lack of use, many things in there were collecting dust. With a feather duster in hand, she walked over to his desk and began to dust it. However, she stopped when she got to the bookshelf. Resting on the shelf was a grammar textbook and a dictionary. Chi-chi sighed and hoped that Gohan had not been neglecting his studies during his time away from home. Then, there was a knock on the door.

Chi-chi ran to the front door and opened it. She was surprised to see who was standing at the door. "Krillin?"

"Hey, Chi-chi," Krillin said. "We're back."

Chi-chi ran right past Krillin and began looking around frantically. "Where is he? Where's my baby?"

"Dunno," Krillin commented. "It's been so long I don't think I'd recognize Goten anymore."

"No, my _other_ baby!" Chi-chi replied.

This confused Krillin. "Huh?" Then it dawned on him. "Oh. You mean Gohan. He'll be here a little later. I came on ahead to tell you that Gohan is exhausted, and not to fuss over him or anything until he wakes up on his own."

Upon hearing that, Chi-chi dashed into the house, into Gohan's room, and started setting up the bed. "Gohan's coming home! Oh, I can't wait!"

-49-

In his deep sleep, Gohan began to dream. However, this would prove to be no ordinary dream.

In the dream, Gohan found himself standing outside a small house with white sidings. Something told him to walk up and knock on the door, and he did. The door then opened on its own, and from within, Gohan heard a voice. "Welcome, Gohan. I've been expecting you. Please, come in and have a seat." Gohan looked to his left and saw two empty easy chairs. Gohan sat in the chair with its back facing the window. A minute later, someone walked into the room.

This man was roughly the same height as Gohan, and had a similar build. He also wore the same clothing that Gohan wore. However, that was where the similarities ended. The man's facial features were soft, and his eyes were soft and seemed to lack the intensity that Gohan's did, yet at the same time seemed to command respect. He also had long blond hair that ended midway down his back. The man sat in the chair facing opposite Gohan.

"That voice," Gohan said. "You're the one who told me to channel my energy into Testament."

The man nodded. "And I believe you have an idea who I am."

Gohan hesitated a second. "...Lucius?"

"Indeed," came the reply. "I am the one who stopped the Roxians ten millennia ago, and your ancestor. I am Lucius."

"And I can already see what ten thousand years has done," Gohan said. "Aside from build, we look nothing alike."

This prompted a laugh from Lucius. "Not to mention that you're only half-human. But what does appearance matter? What really matters is much deeper."

"Hmm. Noah was right about you," Gohan remarked.

"Oh? How so?" Lucius asked.

"He said you were very unusual," Gohan answered. "You were enigmatic and no one could ever tell what was going on in your head."

"Yes, that sounds like something he would say," Lucius commented. "What else did he say about me? I'm curious."

"He also said that no one could ask for a better friend. You were kind, remarkably intelligent, looked out for others' interests, and were a natural leader," Gohan said. "And once you entered battle, you became a force to be reckoned with."

"There," Lucius said. "Those are the important traits that were passed down through the generations. Those words describe you as well as they do me. But I can add some more."

"Huh?"

"Gentle. Compassionate. Peaceful. Reluctant to fight, but held true to your convictions." Lucius smiled wistfully. "Those traits belonged to my beloved Serra."

"Can I ask you something?" Gohan asked. "Why did this have to be placed on my shoulders?"

Lucius's eyes clouded over with sadness. "I am so terribly sorry for placing such a burden on you. Believe me, I much rather would have fought Rekhas myself. However, I beg your understanding. No human could possibly live for ten thousand years."

"Concern yourself no more with it, then," Gohan responded. "I'm not resentful at all. In fact, I can already see what this experience has awarded me."

The smile returned to Lucius's face. "I'm very glad to hear that. And proud, too."

"Proud?"

"You destroyed the Makyo Star. You stopped the most powerful foe the universe has ever seen. You have transcended every fighter who has come before you. And most of all, you came out of this experience a better person, with new bonds of friendship, strengthened bonds with the friends you already had, and someone you love and who loves you in return.," Lucius explained. "How could I not be proud? I may not be as proud as I imagine your father to be, but still proud of you nonetheless."

Gohan was embarrassed by the praise. He scratched the back of his head and gave his father's trademark grin. As he shifted in his seat, he noticed the scabbard still attached to his waist. "You did help me substantially, though. If it weren't for you and this sword, I'd be dead now."

"That was more the sword than me," Lucius responded. "At any rate, would you let me take a look at it?" Gohan pulled Testament from its scabbard and handed it to his ancestor. Lucius gripped the hilt and ran his fingers along the edge. "It's been ten thousand years since I last gripped this amazing weapon..."

"Well, that weapon almost ended my life," Gohan commented. "If it weren't for the cells of other fighters in Cell's body, he most likely would have killed me in Vegeta's mind."

"No," Lucius responded. "Even if Cell were capable of wielding Testament, it would not have killed you."

Gohan was confused. "Why not?"

Suddenly, Lucius leaped out of his chair and brought Testament down with all his might. Gohan was caught by surprise and barely managed a block. "Look. I couldn't even make a single cut on you. This sword will never cut anyone it deems worthy of wielding it." He then placed the sword back on Gohan's lap. "My apologies for scaring you."

"That's fine," Gohan replied. "In fact, you did me a favor. I was so angry with myself for letting Cell steal the sword, and you relieved me of that anger. I should be thanking you."

Lucius smiled once more. "Well, it seems the time has come," he said. "I must be going now."

Gohan jumped out of his chair. "What? Why?"

"You've stopped the Roxians permanently," Lucius answered. "My job is done. It is time for my soul to go where it is meant to go. I'll finally get to see Serra again."

"No, please!" Gohan cried out, tears beginning to stream down his face, as Lucius began to walk away. "I know! We'll bring you back with the Namekian Dragon Balls!"

Lucius turned, tears forming in his eyes as well. "I'm sorry, Gohan...but Serra and I both died of natural causes. Don't worry-you'll see me again someday, and when you do, I want to hear all about how you've lived your life." Lucius then took a step outside the house. "Good-bye, Gohan." He then closed the door.

"No!" Gohan ran to the door and opened it, but Lucius was gone. "No! Lucius, come back! Please!" However, his shouts fell on deaf ears. Gohan collapsed to the ground and let the tears flow. After a moment, however, despite his crying, the tears disappeared from his face.

-49-

For the past hour, Gohan had been lying in his own bed at home. Next to the bed, on a wooden chair, sat Sephra. For the entire hour that Gohan lied there, Sephra never moved an inch from the chair.

Much to Sephra's surprise, after a while of peaceful sleep, tears began to trail from Gohan's closed eyes and down the sides of his face. He also muttered in his sleep, "No...Lucius, come back...please..."

Suspecting something, Sephra lifted the covers and saw that the scabbard holding Testament was glowing. However, as she watched, the glow faded away until it was no longer there. _Could Lucius have been talking to Gohan in his dream?_ She then looked back at Gohan's face, and the tears had picked up in intensity. With her gloved hand, Sephra gently wiped away the tears from Gohan's face. "Don't cry, Gohan," she whispered.

A few seconds later, Gohan's eyelids slowly opened. He then sat up and looked around. No sooner had he done so than he felt someone throw herself onto him.

Oh, Gohan, I'm so happy to see you awake," Sephra said.

"Good to see you, too, Sephra," Gohan replied.

Sephra backed away and sat down again. "What's the matter?"

Gohan bowed his head in sadness. "It's my ancestor...Lucius. He came to me in my dreams, and we talked. But he has to go now. His soul is no longer in Testament's blade. I won't get to talk to him again until after I die myself."

"That's too bad," Sephra responded. "But, Gohan, do you really think he wants you wasting time mourning for him? I'm sure he wants you to be happy. You may have several thousand generations between the two of you, but you are family, and families always want what's best for each other."

Gohan raised his head and found himself looking into Sephra's emerald eyes. "Yes. You're right, of course. And speaking of family, I need to go greet the rest of mine." With that, he walked out of his room and into the kitchen.

Upon seeing who walked in, Chi-chi dropped her ladle. "Oh, my god..." She then threw herself on her firstborn son. "Oh, Gohan, you're home! You're back at last!"

"Hi, Mom," Gohan replied. "It's good to see you, too. Hey, what are you cooking? It smells great!"

Chi-chi pulled away from Gohan. "Oh, you! You're just like your father! Dinner won't be done for another half an hour or so..." Chi-chi then reached around behind her and grabbed a pile of textbooks. "So it's time to start studying!"

Gohan was taken aback. "Mom, I just finished what was easily the most difficult experience of my life."

"Exactly why you need to start studying! You need to catch up!" Chi-chi crossed her arms. "Now let's go! Chop chop!" However, Gohan instead walked over to the trash can and dumped the textbooks in.

Chi-chi was shocked. "Gohan, what are you doing? Take those books out, now!"

"No, Mom," Gohan responded. "I've already decided what I'm doing with my life."

"Oh? Well, let's hear it!" Chi-chi exclaimed. "The sooner you decide, the sooner we can start a more specific curr-"

"Mom, I'm going to the planet Gabria," Gohan said. "I'm going to serve on their royal court."

"Wha-?" Chi-chi exclaimed in surprise. "Surely you can't be serious! You're just still sleepy, it'll wear away."

"No, Mom," Gohan said, more forcefully this time. "I'm thinking quite clearly. I've learned a lot on my travels through space, and Gabria is an amazing place. Besides, I'm personally acquainted with the king of Gabria, and that alone makes sure I can get a good living."

"No, Gohan!" Chi-chi snapped. "I forbid you to do that!"

"Why?" came a response. However, the source of this voice came from the stairs. Ox-King walked into the kitchen in the midst of the argument, followed by Goten. "I see no reason to object. What's the problem?"

"Gohan's from Earth, that's the problem!" Chi-chi responded. "He needs to make a living on Earth!"

"Chi-chi, by that logic, nobody would ever leave home!" Ox-King replied.

"Well, the closer he is to home, the better!" Chi-chi stated.

"So that's it, is it?" Gohan asked. "You want me to stick around so you can dictate what goes on in my life."

"No, of course not!" Chi-chi answered. "You're almost an adult and it'll be time to be thinking for yourself!"

"You're right, Mom. I am almost an adult," Gohan said. "So it's time for me to think for myself, and I have. You just don't like the option."

"Because it's ridiculous!" Chi-chi shouted.

"No, it's not!" Gohan shouted back. "You just can't accept the fact that what I want and what you want are completely different! I'm tired of being what you want me to be! I've decided, and if you don't like it, then that's just too bad!"

"Mommy's being mean," Goten interjected.

"Um, hey, I hope this isn't a bad time," Sephra said as she walked up behind Gohan.

Hoping to defuse the situation, Gohan let Sephra by him. "Oh, that's right. I haven't introduced you yet. Sephra, this is my mother and my grandfather, and my little brother, Goten. Mom, Grandpa, Goten, this is my girlfriend, Princess Sephra."

Ox-King smiled, took Sephra's hand, and kissed it. "A pleasure to meet you, Your Highness."

Goten grinned. "Hi, pretty lady."

Sephra giggled and squatted so she was a little over Goten's head level. "You're a cute little boy," she said as she rubbed his head.

Chi-chi, however, reacted the opposite way. She looked at Sephra with a look of horror on her face. "You! Leave this house at once! I don't want you hanging around my precious baby any more! He's too good for a whore!"

As soon as Chi-chi said that, a deafening silence filled the air. Ox-King and Sephra looked at Chi-chi in shock, and the latter started to cry. She tried to run off, but Gohan grabbed her by the wrist. "Stay here, Sephra." Gohan then turned to Chi-chi, brimming with rage.

"That's _it._ I've had it. I'm not putting up with you. Sephra and I are leaving for Gabria, and we won't be coming back for an indefinite period of time. Don't call us, we'll call you."

"You can't do that!" Chi-chi yelled. "I'm your mother!"

"From a biological standpoint, yes," Gohan responded. "But I refuse to let anyone hurt the woman I love and get away with it! There's nothing you can do to stop me, either. If I were you, I'd get in touch with reality."

"Reality? YOU'RE the one who needs to get in touch with reality!" Chi-chi yelled.

"Who was the one who said that if I had a choice between saving the world and studying I should study?!" Gohan shot back. "Face it! You lost your touch on reality years ago! Now, I'm leaving, and if you can't learn to accept what I've chosen to do with my life or who I choose to love, then you will never see me again!" Gohan and Sephra walked over to the door, and Gohan opened it. He then turned around. "I'm sorry, Grandpa, Goten. I don't mean to shut you out, too. Just please, take care of my mother, all right?" Ox-King nodded in response. Gohan and Sephra then stepped outside. Gohan turned around to face his mother again, and said, "Good-bye...Mother." He then closed the door.

"NO!!" Chi-chi screamed. "Gohan, come back! Please! I'm sorry! I'm really sorry! PLEASE!!" However, Chi-chi could not bring herself to pursue her son, and she collapsed to the floor in tears.

-49-

"Now, Gohan...you're sure about this?" Krillin asked back up at the Lookout.

"I've made up my mind, Krillin," Gohan answered. "While my mother won't see me until she has accepted what I want to do with my life and who I love, I'll still visit you guys from time to time. After all, as much as I love Gabria, Earth is my true home."

"You're still going to come to the wedding, right?" 18 asked.

Gohan smiled. "Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!"

"Hey, Gohan?" Trunks stepped forward. "I have a favor to ask of you. As I told you before, my time was already ruined by the Roxians, and I was the only person left on Earth, so there's no point in me going back. I would stay here, but with the other me around, it would turn into a legal mess. So, would it be at all possible for me to go to Gabria with you guys?"

"That's fine by me," Gohan said, "but you'd better ask Sephra."

"It shouldn't be a problem," Sephra replied. "I'm sure Daddy will have no problem with you staying. With your strength, I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to make you a knight captain!"

Trunks smiled. "Thanks, you guys." He then turned around. "Mom? Dad? Take care of yourselves, all right?"

"We will," Bulma said.

"Watch out for yourself, as well," Vegeta replied.

Gohan smiled at the small gathering of his friends. "Good-bye, everyone." He, along with Sephra and Trunks, then vanished.

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's not the end...yet. There's still one last chapter in the works.)


	50. Epilogue

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow, it's hard to believe that it's been four and a half years since I started writing this fic. And here I am, at the epilogue. I'm close to finishing up the best-and longest-fic I've ever written. Part of me doesn't want to finish-just let it continue-but I know that I need to, otherwise I'd be doing the fans a terrible disservice. So, here it is. I present to you:

The Chosen One

Epilogue

_And thus, the war to decide the fate of the universe was over. The victors all went their separate ways, but never forgot the times they spent together, both good and bad._

_Piccolo returned to the Lookout, where he could see what was going on across the Earth. He proved to be good company to Dende._

_Vegeta settled down with Bulma and the young Trunks at Capsule Corp. Though he has not abandoned his training, he takes time to spend with his wife and his son._

_Krillin and Android 18 were married soon after. Having achieved his lifelong dream, Krillin and his new wife settled down and had a beautiful baby daughter._

_Android 17, bored with peace on Earth, requested a spaceship of Bulma, which he then used to travel around the galaxy. He earned a reputation as a powerful bounty hunter._

_Siber returned to his home world to live a peaceful life. Five months after he returned, he and his father traveled to New Namek and used the Dragon Balls to revive Siber's mother._

_Android 16 remained at Capsule Corp. He took it upon himself to care for the stray animals that Dr. Briefs always seemed to bring home._

_Nail returned to New Namek, where he received a hero's welcome. As time passed, he began teaching the next generation of Namekians the way of the warrior._

_Tien went to Kame House, where he had left Chiaotzu. The two then resumed their lifestyle of traveling the world and training._

_Yamcha quit the football team and moved to South City. There, he earned his money by winning local martial arts tournaments._

_Raditz, determined to make sure his nephew never met with harm, accompanied Gohan to Gabria. Raditz was made a knight, though he proved to be somewhat of a maverick._

_Trunks, unable to return to his own time, accompanied Gohan to Gabria, where he quickly rose through the ranks of the Royal Guard. He currently serves as its captain._

_Broly found he could not fit in on the planet Earth. He requested a spaceship from Bulma and searched the galaxy for somewhere that he could establish a permanent residence. He has been unsuccessful so far._

_Ayn returned to Arcturus. When the sage Noah finally passed on, he named Ayn, his grandson, as his successor. Under Ayn's leadership, Arcturus would flourish as it had never before._

_A year later, Gohan returned home to find his mother surprisingly accepting. She had the chance to talk to Sephra, and after a heartfelt apology, got to know the princess better, and actually began to like her._

_Gohan and Sephra returned to the planet Gabria, where they both completed their education. Around that time, King Michael announced that the heir to the throne would be Sephra's husband. Which brings us four years after the conflict ended, to the capital of Gabria..._

-E-

"How do I look?" Gohan asked.

"Gohan, you've asked us that a thousand times," Krillin responded. "Just relax."

"Sorry, Krillin," Gohan apologized. "I'm just so nervous. I don't know how you dealt with it."

"About the same way as you," Krillin said with a laugh.

"So, I bet you're anxious for tonight, huh?" Android 17 asked.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, the reception should be fun," Gohan answered.

"Not the reception. I'm talking about sharing the same bed," 17 responded with a sly grin.

Gohan's face turned beet-red. "Uh..." Everyone else in the room laughed.

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood," 17 said.

"Like I said, before, relax," Krillin said. "Take a few deep breaths and think of something peaceful. Don't get too worked up. All you're doing is standing next to Sephra, repeat what the minister says, slip a ring on her finger, let her do the same, kiss, and then lead the way to the reception."

"If you say so..." Gohan responded. He, along with the groomsmen, left the room.

-E-

"Do you think I have enough makeup on?" Sephra asked.

"Sephra, take a deep breath," Bulma said. "You look fine, and I can guarantee you're going to sweep everyone in the hall-especially Gohan-off their feet as you are now."

Sephra then turned to Android 18. "What do you think, 18?"

"Bulma said what I had to say," 18 answered. "Don't tense up, or you're more likely to make a mistake."

-E-

Gohan waited up at the altar, with Krillin standing right behind him. Gohan was doing his best to concentrate on something peaceful that he had a stern look on his face.

King Michael leaned in. "Come now, Gohan, this isn't a funeral. No need to look so solemn on such a joyous day!"

"Oops, sorry," Gohan apologized. "Just trying to calm my nerves."

"Quiet, Gohan, here she comes!" Krillin hissed. Everyone turned to the entrance as the Gabrian princess walked through. The normally beautiful princess looked absolutely breathtaking in her wedding gown. She wore a strapless, all-white silk gown that flowed outward from her hips. The body of the gown had a different pattern from the rest of the gown, making look somewhat like a corset. The gown fit her perfectly, accentuating her figure. She wore a veil that was made of the same white silk as her gown, and it seemed to cascade from her head like a waterfall. She held in her hands a bouquet of beautiful flowers, and her wings glittered in the sunlight that filtered through the windows. As she approached the altar, it took Gohan every ounce of his strength not to let his jaw drop. Then, he felt someone prodding him in his back.

"Gohan," Krillin whispered out of the corner of his mouth. "You've stopped breathing." Gohan inhaled very deeply, stunned by the vision of loveliness that walked down the aisle. She finally stopped by Gohan's side and waited as the music ended and the service began.

"Dearly beloved," the minister said, "we are here today to witness a union of a man and a woman in holy matrimony. As you already know, this is no ordinary matter, as we are referring to the union of Sephra, the princess and soon to be queen of Gabria, and Gohan, the future king of Gabria. Now, if you will all please be quiet." Goten walked up with a pillow that held two rings on it. Gohan and Sephra each took a ring.

"If there is anybody here who has a reason as to why these two should not be wed in holy matrimony," the minister declared, "speak now or forever hold your peace." After a moment of silence, the minister continued. "Now, Gohan, if you would say your vows."

"I, Son Gohan, do take you, Sephra Gabria, to be my loving wedded wife, and I promise to love you and care for you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do us part," Gohan said as he slipped the ring onto Sephra's left ring finger.

The minister then looked at Sephra. "Now, Your Highness, it is time for you to say your vows."

"I, Sephra Gabria, do take you, Son Gohan, to be my loving wedded husband, and I promise to love you and care for you, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, until death do us part," Sephra said as she tried to slip the ring onto Gohan's left ring finger. However, she had some difficulty doing so.

The minister looked at the congregation with a smile on his face. "You know, your fingers swell when you are nervous. It seems Gohan is the more nervous of the two." That elicited a laugh from the congregation. He then looked to Gohan and Sephra. "Now, you shall seal your commitment with a kiss."

Slowly, Gohan pulled back the veil. Sephra slid her hands around Gohan's neck, and he placed one hand behind her waist and another behind her head. He pulled her to them and they met in a kiss. After a few seconds, they pulled away.

"Now, by the power entrusted to me by His Royal Majesty, I hereby present the congregation King and Queen Son Gohan," the minister declared as the two faced the congregation. Everyone rose to their feet and applauded. The music picked up again, and the pair walked down the aisle, both smiling happily. As they walked, Gohan felt a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations, Gohan."

Gohan turned around to face the speaker, and immediately his eyes began to cloud with tears of joy. Just when he thought this day could not possibly get any happier, it had. He grabbed Sephra by the wrist, who turned to face Gohan in response.

"I would like to introduce you to the single greatest man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Sephra... Meet my dad."


End file.
